Red Bull Racing boss Christian Horner has been sacked a year on from the texting scandal that reportedly caused wife Geri some of the “most painful months of her life”
Geri Halliwell was said to be “devastated” by her husband Christian Horner’s texting scandal.
The Red Bull Racing boss, 51, has been sacked by the F1 team following a string of poor results. A statement from Red Bull, via the BBC, read: “Christian Horner has been sacked by Red Bull after 20 years as team principal. Laurent Mekies has been promoted from Racing Bulls to replace him as CEO.”
The news comes 12 months after the scandal that engulfed Horner over texts he allegedly sent to a female employee. The axed racing chief was twice cleared of coercive behaviour towards his colleague after internal investigations from Red Bull.
Horner had insisted that his Spice Girl star wife Geri was being “very supportive” to him during the ordeal. He told the Mirror at the time: “I have a very supportive family and a very supportive wife. My focus has been on the job and the season ahead.”
Indeed, the couple who married in 2015 put on a united front in public at the time, such as when they appeared at the Bahrain Grand Prix during the opening weekend of the new F1 season. They also appeared at the New York premiere of the new F1 movie last month.
Geri put on a brave face in public, but it was alleged she was secretly “devastated” by the ordeal and left in tears. A source close to the singer told The Sun: “Geri has been in floods of tears all weekend while looking after her kids. She is insisting Christian has done nothing wrong.”
The couple have one son together, Monty. Geri has a teenage daughter, Bluebell, and is stepmother to Christian’s daughter, Olivia, from his first marriage.
A source close to Horner’s wife Geri revealed she was a “rock” for her husband during the rigorous three-week investigation of him in February 2024, though confessed the last few weeks had been “hell” for the family.
“This has been weeks of hell for Christian and his family. As he has said all along, these claims are ‘nuts’,” they told The Sun. “An exhaustive investigation has been carried out and the allegations have proven to be nonsense. Geri has been rock solid behind Christian – and his whole family is relieved and elated that it’s over.”
It was claimed Geri was struggling through “some of the most painful” times of her life, with a source telling Closer: “She’s been through some of the most painful months of her life, sometimes wanting to retreat and never face the public again.
“For people to question the very thing she prides herself on and became famous for – girl power – and insinuate she should not have stood by him really stung and made all her insecurities resurface.”
It was also claimed the Spice Girl felt like she was suffering a “living nightmare” and feared things “could unravel”. A source told Closer (via the Mirror): “Obviously this has been a hellish time for Geri and she’s been in a state of absolute turmoil trying to hold it together for the kids while quietly crumbling inside.”
They added: “She says she feels like she’s in a living nightmare and is absolutely terrified about how things could unravel.” It’s believed Geri had sought support from her friend fellow bandmate Victoria Beckham.
A source told OK!: “They always got on well and have been there for each other through the difficult times. When Geri was having a bit of a stormy relationship with some of the other Spice Girls, Victoria supported her and helped her through. It’s the same now Victoria wants to support Geri any way she can.”
In March of last year, it was claimed Geri was holding “crisis talks” with her team and was left feeling “humiliated”. A source told the Mirror: “Geri has been locked in crisis talks with her team this week about how to manage all of this.
“Christian had played down the whole affair to her, but she can’t bear the fact it is now all out in the open. She feels like a fool. It has really taken its toll on her and she told pals this week she would not be in Bahrain.
They continued: “She was adamant she wouldn’t be there, she would not pretend like everything was OK. But Christian’s mum has been leaning on her heavily to stand by his side, and publicly back him, and her pleas seem to have worked. Her own team had been urging her to keep her distance and seek advice.
“They are worried about the impact on both her personally and her brand and want her to pause and consider her next move carefully. She feels incredibly torn between the two camps. It’s a horrific situation for her to be in, and it is growing worse by the minute.”
It was also suggested that although Geri had been “smiling for the cameras”, she’d laid down some strict rules to her husband. A source told The Sun: “Although she smiled for the cameras at the Grand Prix, Geri has laid down some strict ground rules. One is that Christian cuts or reduces contact with the woman.
“And she has definitely had her say over what messages he sends. For obvious reasons, Geri would like the female colleague – who she knew before her appointment – to be out of the picture as much as possible.”
Geri herself slammed claims that she was legally changing her name in light of the scandal – and reverting from Horner to Halliwell-Horner. She told The Sunday Times: “That’s a load of c**p. It’s my writing name. I haven’t legally changed anything—Horner is the name on my passport.”
She also offered insight into their home life, saying her and Christian are “quite silly” and how they enjoy watching TV, walking their dogs and barbecues. “We’ll find a TV series that we lock into,” she explained. “I’ll try my best not to watch it when he goes away,’ she shared, adding that they like playing games, such as ’20 questions’”.
Speaking after he was cleared, Horner expressed his relief to the press that the investigation was concluded and that he could refocus on his work. “I’m just pleased that the process is over, I can’t comment about it,” he stated.
“The focus is very much now on the Grand Prix and the season ahead and trying to defend both of our titles. I’m pleased to be here in Bahrain and with the team, focussed on the season ahead. The team has never been stronger.”
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Source: Celebrities - dailystar.co.uk
