Geri Horner flies in to reunite with husband Christian at Bahrain GP after ‘sexual WhatsApps leaked’
Geri has been a regular feature in Red Bull’s F1 paddock and has shared intimate moments on Netflix’s popular series ‘Drive to Survive’
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Your support makes all the difference.Geri Horner landed in Bahrain on a private jet to reunite with her husband, Christian Horner, on Friday just hours after what appeared to be a series of sexually suggestive messages with a female subordinate were leaked.
The Formula One team principal, 50, was cleared of “inappropriate behaviour” on Wednesday after a three-week internal probe, following allegations from a female colleague which were strongly denied.
Sources close to the singer say she was “relieved and elated” when the case against Horner was thrown out having been reduced to “floods of tears” while waiting on the outcome of the investigation, according to The Sun.
But less than 24 hours later a series of WhatsApp texts and photographs were released, reigniting the scandal and forcing the pair’s relationship into the spotlight once more.
Since their marriage in 2015, Geri has been a regular feature in Red Bull’s paddock with the former Spice Girl also sharing intimate moments of her family life on Netflix’s popular series Drive to Survive, which follows the intense rivalries of F1 teams over a season.
The Independent has seen the leaked material, a Google Drive with 79 separate documents, but is unable to verify the authenticity of the content.
While there don’t appear to be any explicit images in the messages, some of the texts are sexually suggestive in nature.
The embattled Red Bull boss was present in the F1 paddock in Bahrain ahead of the first race of the 2024 season this weekend where his team will chase back-to-back constructors’ championships.
He responded to the latest development with a short statement on Thursday night: “I won’t comment on anonymous speculation, but to reiterate, I have always denied the allegations. I respected the integrity of the independent investigation and fully cooperated with it every step of the way.”
As well as putting his marriage under threat, Horner is also at risk of falling foul of the behaviour code set by F1 governing body the Federation Internationale de l’Automobile (FIA).
This can be breached if “any words, deeds, or writings have caused moral injury or loss to the FIA, its bodies, its members, or its executive officers, and more generally on the interest of motorsport and on the values defended by the FIA”.
A statement issued by the Formula One team’s parent company suggested the contents of the messages were a personal issue for the pair to resolve.
“This is a private matter between Mr Horner and another and it would be inappropriate for Red Bull to comment on this,” a statement from Red Bull GmbH read.
News that Horner was under investigation rocked the racing world in February when the seemingly unassailable leader of the F1 champions suddenly saw his career hanging in the balance.
The pair met several times before dating. In an interview with The Telegraph, Christian recalled that they first locked eyes at the Monaco Grand Prix in 2009, where Geri was a guest of former Formula One Group boss Bernie Ecclestone.
“I remember [ex-McLaren boss] Ron Dennis was standing next to me and [ex-Jordan boss] Eddie Jordan was there as well,” he said.
He remembered: “She gave Ron a kiss on the cheek, and she gave Eddie a kiss on the cheek. So I thought, 'OK, I'm on for a kiss on the cheek here!' And I went to give her one and she shoved her hand out at me!“
Geri and Christian made their debut as a couple at a racing charity event in 2014, and were later spotted holding hands together at the wedding reception of Poppy Delevingne and James Cook, which was held at Kensington Palace Gardens.
The couple were married in 2015 and welcomed a son together, Monty, two years later, when Halliwell was 44. Their engagement was announced in The Times in 2014, reading: “The engagement is announced between Christian, son of Mr and Mrs GM Horner and Geraldine, daughter of the late Mr LF Halliwell and Mrs A Parkinson.”
Geri also gushed about her relationship with Christian as recently as August last year, in an interview with The Sunday Times, when she called her husband of nine years her “best friend”.
In the interview, Geri said she was a “late developer” when it came to seeking a meaningful romantic relationship after finally feeling satisfied being herself in her late thirties.
“The brilliant thing was I was just, like: this is me,” she told journalist Dolly Alderton. “I’m not going to hold myself in in a Herve Leger dress. I was quite grumpy to Christian, actually, and my sillier self came out. I was just real.”
Geri said that despite her needing to adjust to having Horner in her life after years of being single, it became a “really loving relationship”.
“We’re best friends,” she said. “And I went to an all-girls school – I didn’t know I could be best friends with a man.”
She gave birth to her first child, daughter Bluebell, in 2006, following a relationship with filmmaker Sacha Gervasi. The pair’s relationship ended prior to Bluebell’s birth, and she raised her daughter mostly on her own, with help from her late friend, pop star George Michael.
The Independent has contacted Geri’s representatives for comment and put the allegations to Christian Horner.
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