Geri Halliwell’s husband Christian Horner was today cleared of ‘coercive behaviour’ following an investigation into the Red Bull team principal.
The 50-year-old was placed at the centre of an internal probe following an accusation that he had acted inappropriately towards a female employee – who could yet appeal the decision.
Former Spice Girl Halliwell, who shares seven-year-old son Monty with Horner, has stood resolutely by her husband throughout the allegations, which he always denied.
The 51-year-old ex-pop star was connected on the line as her husband gave evidence to the KC during the thorough investigation.
A friend previously revealed to that the popstar was ‘devastated’ by the allegations made against her husband, whom she married at a star-studded wedding in 2015.
The intense spotlight on Horner is said to have affected the couple’s home life, which they split between their farmhouse (and stables) in Oxfordshire and a home in North London.
Red Bull team principal Christian Horner and Spice Girl Geri Halliwell pose after the F1 Grand Prix of Italy at Autodromo di Monza on September 7, 2014
The couple tied the knot at a star-studded ceremony at St Mary’s Church in Woburn in 2015
Halliwell and Horner attend the Gala Dinner for the F1 Grand Prix Of Monaco on May 28, 2023
And although Horner told reporters at Red Bull’s new car launch that his wife and family had been ‘very supportive’, sources told Mail+ that Halliwell was ‘flattened’ by the scandal.
‘Geri is devastated and has been struggling to eat and sleep. Her family and fellow Spice Girls are worried about her,’ the source said ahead of Horner being cleared last week.
‘I hear Christian is trying to pep her up to stay positive, but she has gone to ground in the way she did after she left the Spice Girls. She’s not speaking to anyone.’
Halliwell will no doubt be relieved to see her husband cleared of any wrongdoing today.
Horner had emphatically denied the claim and the Red Bull boss, who arrived in Bahrain today ahead of this weekend’s opening race of the Formula One season, will stay on as team principal of the British team.
Announcing the decision today, the team’s parent company, Red Bull GmbH in Salzburg, said: ‘The independent investigation into the allegations made against Mr Horner is complete, and Red Bull can confirm that the grievance has been dismissed.
‘The complainant has a right of appeal. Red Bull is confident that the investigation has been fair, rigorous and impartial.
‘The investigation report is confidential and contains the private information of the parties and third parties who assisted in the investigation, and therefore we will not be commenting further out of respect for all concerned. Red Bull will continue striving to meet the highest workplace standards.’
Halliwell and Horner mixed in social circles before they struck up a romance, having first met each other at the Monaco Grand Prix in 2009.
‘[Geri] was a guest of [former CEO of the Formula One Group] Bernie Ecclestone’s in Monaco one year and came down the pit lane,’ Horner previously told The Telegraph. ‘I remember [McLaren boss] Ron Dennis was standing next to me and Eddie Jordan was there as well.
‘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.’
The couple’s relationship came under fire after the Red Bull chief left his long-term partner Beverley Allen six months after the birth of their daughter, Olivia.
The pair are said to have briefly split while he attempted to rescue his 14-year relationship with Ms Allen.
Ms Allen had been by his side throughout his astonishing ascent while he acted as a stepfather to her two sons from a previous relationship, Kieron and Liam.
Nine months after they began dating, Ginger Spice and Horner announced their engagement in an in The Times in 2014.
It said: ‘The engagement is announced between Christian, son of Mr and Mrs G.M. Horner and Geraldine, daughter of the late Mr L.F. Halliwell and Mrs A Parkinson.’
Halliwell and Horner mixed in social circles before they struck up a romance, having first met each other at the Monaco Grand Prix in 2009. They are pictured here in Monaco in 2023
Christian Horner and wife Geri Halliwell at a book launch at the Tower of London last October
Christian Horner, pictured with Prince Harry before the Texas Grand Prix in October last year
Horner and Halliwell meet then-Prince Charles at a Prince’s Trust event in London in 2019
Afterwards Halliwell wrote on X, formerly Twitter: ‘Christian and I are delighted to announce that we are engaged! We’re both very happy.’
The former Spice Girl and Red Bull boss tied the knot at St Mary’s Church in Woburn, Bedfordshire, in 2015.
Halliwell’s A-line lace bridal gown was designed by British designer Phillipa Lepley.
Her nine-year-old daughter, Bluebell, whom she had with screenwriter Sacha Gervasi in 2005, also attended the wedding.
Guests included Geri’s former Spice Girls co-star Emma Bunton, radio presenter and singer Myleene Klass, and TV presenter Amanda Holden.
Christian’s parents were reportedly left devastated when the sporting professional left Ms Allen to be with the chart-topping star and therefore chose not to see the duo tie the knot.
A source close to the couple previously said: ‘Geri and Christian are disappointed that his parents aren’t coming.’
Horner and Halliwell pose on the red carpet at the ‘Ferrari’ film premiere in Leicester Square in December
Ginger Spice and Horner are pictured at the World Premiere of ‘The Moonwalkers’ last December
Christian and Geri’s relationship came under fire after the Formula One boss left his long-term partner Beverley Allen (pictured) six months after the birth of their daughter, Olivia
Geri and Christian mixed in social circles before they began dating. Christian first met the Spice Girl at the Monaco Grand Prix in 2009 (pictured in 2011)
Geri and Christian married at St Mary’s church in Woburn, Bedfordshire in 2015
The Spice Girl chose British designer Phillipa Lepley for her A-line lace bridal gown and it was a star-studded wedding with Emma Bunton attending
Halliwell has previously admitted that she felt ‘lonely’ when raising Bluebell as a single mother.
She said she finds ‘compromising a challenge’ when raising Monty with her ‘loving’ husband Christian due to her past experience.
Joining Giovanna Fletcher on her Happy Mum Happy Baby podcast, the Spice Girl drew on her ‘very different set-ups’ of raising both her children.
She explained while she needed ‘broad shoulders’ to raise Bluebell as a single parent, she later struggled when ‘learning how to be a team.’
Halliwell said: ‘I’ve experienced both and I can tell you that, yeah I had my mum to help me with Blue. So I’m very grateful. And her granddad is gorgeous so it was a fantastic role model for her.
‘He takes her to football, which is amazing and I think you know, they both have their blessings and challenges.
‘Being a single parent, mother you don’t have to answer to anyone, but it’s all on you. And that can be quite stressful and you have to be responsible. All the responsibilities are on you in every way.
‘Broad shoulders are needed and sometimes it’s lonely. So I’ve experienced that. And then, you know, having the blessing of having a lovely husband or partner, which I’ve experienced. That’s amazing.
‘So it’s not all on you, but then you’ve got to compromise, we might have, you know, we’re all different in the way we think things should be done. So learning to be a team, which has been a challenge for me.’
Halliwell has seen her husband’s Red Bull team win three consecutive drivers’ championships in as many years.
Red Bull have won seven drivers’ championships and six constructors championships under Horner.
Last season, Red Bull won 21 of the 22 races on the calendar as Max Verstappen claimed the drivers’ title.
Horner celebrated his 50th birthday in December, with stars in attendance including Ronnie Wood and Sir Rod Stewart.
Take That singer Gary Barlow was also seen tapping away at the piano as the rest of the guests serenaded him with choruses of happy birthday, while R&B singer Jade Jones was seen posing for a picture with the Red Bull chief.
Horner was also presented with a three-tier birthday cake which read ‘World Champion’.
The allegations against Horner were made by a close colleague, with Red Bull GmbH in Salzburg, confirming an internal probe had been launched on February 5.
They appointed a London KC to lead the inquiry. He heard 60 hours of evidence, including at least eight hours from Horner in a single day, before producing the crucial 150-page report that went before the wider company’s board on Wednesday.
Halliwell and Horner at the Larkhill Royal Artillery Point to Point in Wiltshire on January 27
Halliwell and Horner arrive for the 2023 Bafta Film Awards in London on February 19 last year
Horner and Halliwell in a holiday photograph taken on an unidentified beach over Christmas
Geri Halliwell called her husband ‘an amazing man’ in a post to mark his 50th birthday
The Spice Girls star said she is ‘really grateful’ to have Christian Horner as her ‘best friend’
Horner was awaiting their adjudication as he took his private jet on the 3,000-mile trip from the UK to Bahrain for the opening race of the season this Saturday.
He was said to be in good spirits as the day developed, hoping his name would be cleared on landing in the Gulf kingdom this afternoon. He did not turn up at the paddock.
During the internal probe, he continued to be present for official Red Bull activities – including the new car launch in Milton Keynes earlier this month, and also pre-season testing in Bahrain last week.
Asked whether he had considered temporarily stepping aside until the conclusion, Horner stressed it was ‘business as usual’.
He said: ‘Obviously, I fully deny any accusations that have been made against me, but of course I’ll work with that process, which I hope is concluded in the near future.’
Miss Halliwell threw her husband Horner a surprise 50th birthday party in December last year
Celebrities from the sporting world and music world collided for his 50th birthday party – with the likes of Rock n’ Roll legends Ronnie Wood and Sir Rod Stewart see in attendance
Horner was also presented with a three-tier birthday cake which read ‘World Champion’
Horner joked they should start a new band after Gary Barlow was seen singing on the night
Horner has been Red Bull team principal since they entered F1 19 years ago and is the longest-serving boss on the grid.
Under Horner’s leadership, he has overseen seven drivers’ world championships and six constructors’ titles at the British-based F1 team.
Red Bull have dominated the sport in recent seasons and last year won 21 of the 22 races – with Dutch driver Max Verstappen setting a new record for 10 consecutive victories.
Addressing the controversy surrounding Horner, seven-time world champion Lewis Hamilton said on Wednesday: ‘We always have to do more to try to make the sport and the environment for people to work in feel safe and inclusive.
‘Any allegations have to be taken very seriously. We don’t know everything that has gone on but it needs to be resolved because it is hanging over the sport.
‘It will be interesting to see how it is dealt with, and the effect that it may or may not have on the sport moving forward.
‘It is a really important moment for the sport to make sure that we stand true to our values.’
Horner was awarded a CBE for his services to motorsport in the New Year Honours list.
He is due to be in the paddock on Thursday for practice ahead of Saturday’s opening round.
Verstappen, the favourite to win a fourth successive title, said before confirmation that Horner had been cleared of any wrongdoing: ‘He (Horner) is very important otherwise he wouldn’t have been in that position for such a long time.
‘If your team boss disappears for one or two races, for whatever reason, not much is going to happen because everybody is in their role.
‘Then things will start to be different if one of the leaders is not there anymore, but we are not thinking like that.
‘We trust the process and we have to see what the outcome will be. Besides that, everyone is focused on what happens on track and we are in a good mood to get going again.’