GERI Halliwell shared an awkward hug and a cringey kiss with hubby Christian Horner amid the sexts leak — but there were “fireworks” behind the scenes, sources said last night.
The Spice Girl, 51, presented a united front with the under-fire F1 Red Bull boss before and after yesterday’s Bahrain Grand Prix.
She had landed in the Middle East on Thursday night, as a torrent of sexually suggestive WhatsApp messages and pictures between Horner, 50, and a female employee began to circulate worldwide.
Sources said furious Geri “read the riot act” to him but put on a brave face for the cameras — to her husband’s “relief”.
Ginger Spice — in high heels, a white designer dress and clutching a Hermes bag — strode hand-in-hand with her husband to a hospitality area ahead of the race yesterday.
Horner then leaned in to plant an awkward kiss on his wife’s cheek while putting his arm around her back.
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After Red Bull’s world champ Max Verstappen stormed to victory in the season opener yesterday, Geri was clasped tightly by her husband as she flashed a forced-looking smile for the cameras.
Horner gushed: “It’s been the best possible start to the season, very clinical and well-executed. The perfect start.”
The public displays of affection came as showbiz sources said Geri had considered the future of her nine-year marriage to Horner, father of her seven-year-old son.
One close to the singer said: “A lot of people who know her are astonished by this show of support. There is absolutely no doubt she is furious and has read him the riot act over what has happened.
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“There are questions about her future with him and she let him know in no uncertain terms. It’s uncertain whether their marriage will survive but she is giving it a good chance by showing him support, at least in public.
“But deep down she must be hurt, humiliated and very, very angry. However, this does at least show she hasn’t gone nuclear and run to the first expensive divorce lawyer she can find.”
The messages were leaked after Horner was cleared last week in a Red Bull probe.
Some of them seemed to show him asking the woman for pictures and in others he appears to discuss a solo sex act in a plane toilet.
The source continued: “The texts leak moved the goalposts — and Geri was furious about it.
“When Christian first told her about the situation, he said he had fallen out with a woman who wanted promotion and more responsibility in Red Bull.
“So he sold it to Geri as a workplace row and she accepted that. So Geri is now fuming that there appears to be more to this.”
An F1 paddock source said: “Christian is relieved and thrilled by Geri’s show of support.
“He was really happy she had flown out and was with him.
“They had time to discuss everything and she must have accepted his explanations to a point to turn out to support him.”
However, last night Jos Verstappen, 51, dad of star Red Bull driver Max, told the Mail: “There is tension here while he remains in position.
“The team is in danger of being torn apart. It can’t go on the way it is. It will explode. He is playing the victim, when he is causing the problems.”
Verstappen Snr reportedly had a blazing row in Horner’s paddock office after the qualifying race on Friday night.
He is said to have left the office before returning to shake the Red Bull principal’s hand.
Geri reportedly knew the staffer at the centre of the sexts storm, and sources said she had visited the couple’s London home.
However, showbiz insiders said the Spice Girl’s spirituality and religious beliefs have helped to edge her towards forgiving her husband.
Geri, who often wears a crucifix around her neck, turned to Christianity in 2001 when she went on a ten-week Alpha course on the Bible.
She previously told The Sun that she conceived in her mid-40s after praying to God to get pregnant naturally.
Our source added: “Her Christianity is helping Christian because — although angry — she believes in forgiveness and wants to keep her family together.”
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Horner — cleared of “coercive behaviour” in a three-week probe — has not commented on the leaked messages.
On Thursday, he said: “I won’t comment on anonymous speculation but have always denied the allegations.”
BECKS’ SHOW IN THE SNOW
By Jane Atkinson
GERI Halliwell has followed in the footsteps of her fellow Spice Girl Victoria Beckham who famously put on a stage-managed display of affection with husband David while their marriage was in trouble.
In 2004, the Beckhams went to the French Alps after he was accused of cheating with Rebecca Loos.
They hit the slopes, had a playfight then — like Christian Horner yesterday — David kissed his wife.
In their Netflix documentary last year, Victoria said it was their “hardest period”, adding: “It felt like the world was against us. And here’s the thing — we were against each other.”
David added: “We needed to fight for our family. And what we had was worth fighting for.”
Source: Motorsport - thesun.co.uk
