Dressed head to toe in a white designer ensemble as she headed to the Commonwealth Day service alongside senior royals last month, Geri Horner looked almost unrecognisable from the wild 90s icon who rose to fame in The Spice Girls.
The singer, now 52, was affectionately known as Ginger Spice in her hey day due to her unmissable bright red tresses – having landed a role in the band alongside Mel C, Emma Bunton, Victoria Beckham and Mel B following brief stints on TV and as a raunchy page 3 girl.
Her time in the girl group constantly grabbed headlines – be it for her head-turning looks including THAT iconic Union Jack mini-dress or claims of a lesbian fling with bandmate Mel B.
But fast forward 30 years and those hedonistic days are firmly behind Geri, with the star now leading a wholesome life in the Oxfordshire countryside with her F1 Red Bull Racing tycoon husband Christian.
Turning her hand to baking, writing children’s books and attending all manner of royal events Geri has managed to completely overhaul her image far from her outrageous Spice Girl days.
With bold career changes, a complete fashion rebrand and focus on her plush countryside life, she’s put her pop past firmly behind her and prefers to be known these days as ‘Geraldine’, in keeping with her more upmarket image.
And in the years that followed Geri kept up with her love of colour, stepping onto red carpet after red carpet in an array of out-there get-ups – including a sheer ruffled red gown which exposed her whole bottom at the 2008 children’s BAFTAs
Dressed head to toe in a white designer ensemble as she headed to the Commonwealth Day service alongside senior royals last month, Geri Horner looked almost unrecognisable from the wild 90s icon who rose to fame in The Spice Girls
Tellingly, her Valentine’s Day tribute to husband Christian in 2017 featured a personalised balloon with the message, ‘Love Geraldine’.
She’s also worked her way into the very upper echelons of society by bonding with the Royal Family, thanks to her role as an ambassador for the Prince’s Trust, now officially The King’s Trust.
Whereas she raised eyebrows by telling the then Prince Charles he was ‘very sexy’ and seemingly pinching his bottom, she’s now a regular at Commonwealth Day Celebrations and turns up in a suitably regal shift dress and headpiece – while keeping her hands and cheeky comments to herself.
And while her influence on popular culture was delivering memorable lyrics such as ‘zig-a-zig-ah’ and ‘scream if you wanna go faster’, she has let it be known that her tastes these days are of a more esoteric variety.
In a recent inerview with the Sunday Times she revealed how her favourite painting is the 1883 work The Execution of Lady Jane Grey by Paul Delaroche, whils she’s struck up a friendship with Professor Brian Cox and is currently reading Tolstoy.
Fashion
While touring with the world’s biggest girl group, Geri was known for pushing the fashion boundaries.
From that iconic Union Jack mini-dress at the 1997 BRIT Awards – made from a tea towel, to her US flag corset at the MTV Video Music Awards later that year, Geri made headlines with her outlandish ensembles.
But in recent years, she has drastically overhauled her image – adopting an all-white uniform.
Whether she is stepping onto the red carpet or mucking out horse stables, Geri’s outfits follow a strict colourless scheme.
Geri was famed for her colours and prints while touring, with her Union Jack dress becoming so iconic that Rolling Stones rocker Ronnie Wood even gifted her a painting of it for her 48th birthday.
Another of her memorable ensembles was her United States flag corset which she sported for the 1997 MTV Music Awards, held at Radio City Music Hall in New York City
Geri is seen with Blue’ Duncan James while presenting Party in the Park in 2004
Before her music career with the Spice Girls, Geri had worked in various roles, including as a nightclub dancer in Mallorca and as a presenter on the Turkish version of Let’s Make a Deal
In 2012, she even released a clothing line for high-street retailer Next – with all garments paying homage to the classic Union Jack look
In 2012, she even released a clothing line for high-street retailer Next – with all garments paying homage to the classic look.
Another of her memorable ensembles was her United States flag corset which she sported for the 1997 MTV Music Awards, held at Radio City Music Hall in New York City.
Geri’s outrageous ensemble turned heads at the awards ceremony as she stepped out in the corset bodysuit – which had the stars of the flag on the bra cups. She paired the tiny all-in-one with a huge white fur coat and platform red, white and blue boots.
During her time with the Spice Girls, Geri donned a host of vibrant outfits, from a tiny blue fringed dress, to patterned skin-tight ensembles.
And in the years that followed Geri kept up her love of colour, stepping onto red carpet after red carpet in an array of out-there get-ups – including a sheer ruffled red gown which exposed her whole bottom at the 2008 children’s BAFTAs.
But after her marriage to the Red Bull chief in 2015, Geri’s style appeared to feature less and less colour – eventually consisting of almost-all white garments.
Geri and Christian tied the knot at St Mary’s Church in Woburn, Bedfordshire, six years after they first met at the British Grand Prix in 2009.
Christian left his partner Beverley just six months after the birth of their daughter Olivia in 2014 and set up home with Geri.
Even when visiting a mucky penguin enclosure at London Zoo in 2023, Geri stuck to her new signature style
In recent years she has drastically overhauled her image – adopting a chic and mostly all-white uniform
Geri and Christian tied the knot at St Mary’s Church in Woburn, Bedfordshire, six years after they first met at the British Grand Prix in 2009 (seen together in 2023)
In November 2014 they announced their engagement in The Times newspaper.
Two years after getting married in 2017, the pair welcomed their first child together, named Montague George Hector Horner. Geri also has 18-year-old daughter Bluebell from her previous relationship with British film director Sacha Gervasi.
Geri and Christian share two homes in the English countryside, in Oxfordshire and Hertfordshire, with one boasting a farm with three donkeys, goats and stables to fit 14 horses.
As she embraced a new lifestyle in the countryside, Geri decided to make over her image in an attempt to banish the ‘homewrecker’ tag and present their relationship as wholesome.
A source told Mail Plus that Geri has been ‘ultra cautious with her image, trying so hard to shake off her brassy Ginger Spice past and transform herself into a wholesome Oxfordshire housewife’.
With that, came a clear style transformation as Geri began adopting a wardrobe of solely chic neutral tones, and avoiding colour almost completely.
Speaking to The Sun in 2021, Geri revealed why she made the switch to all-white ensembles.
‘Everything becomes really simple,’ she said. ‘I like the colour and it’s like wearing a school uniform as an adult.
‘It matches with everything and I literally don’t have to think in the mornings. It’s great for busy people – it kind of looks like you’ve made an effort when you haven’t.’
Whether she was watching the tennis at Wimbledon, attending charity events, or even mucking out on the farm, Geri sported white clothing.
With her husband and children, Geri has carved out an idyllic country life at their Cotswolds estate.
Career
Before her music career with the Spice Girls, Geri had worked in various roles, including as a nightclub dancer in Mallorca and as a presenter on the Turkish version of Let’s Make a Deal.
She also took on work as a glamour model and at the young age of 19 she appeared as a Page 3 girl in The Sun newspaper.
Following her rise to fame as a member of the Spice Girls, some of her more raunchy snaps including those from her Page 3 appearance, were republished in magazines like Playboy and Penthouse.
But things couldn’t look more different now as she fills her time with baking, writing books and popping up at all manner of royal events.
Geri has previously spoken about how she’s happily swapped her wild ways for a more traditional housewife role.
She became a feminist icon for a generation of independent young women in the Spice Girls but now seems content to shun the limelight and play the role of devoted wife and mother instead.
During her time with the Spice Girls, Geri, (far right), donned a host of vibrant outfits, from a tiny blue fringed dress
The mother-of-two has made cooking and baking wholesome dishes a key part of her brand
Whether she is stepping onto the red carpet or mucking out horse stables, Geri’s outfits follow a strict colourless scheme
In keeping with the smart country set, Geri now indulges her love of horses and is regularly seen out riding and attending racing festivals
Geri looked animated in the grandstand watching the St James’s Place Festival Challenge Cup Open Hunters’ Chase on day four of the 2025 Cheltenham Festival
She told the Daily Mail in 2015: ‘I do cook for him, I do like to see that he’s happy.
‘When I go to the Formula 1 races, I’m not about all the glamour. I’ve been there and done that. I never thought I’d meet the man who I knew I would be with always. I can be myself with him, I can breathe out. I don’t ever want to get divorced.
‘I believe in equality but I’m proud to be a wife and this is me saying I believe in the union of marriage and everything that goes with it.’
But her lifestyle transformation hasn’t always gone unnoticed as Geri raised eyebrows in 2016 when she appeared on and won Sport Relief Bake Off.
She got plenty of flack as some viewers on social media accused her of ‘faking an upper class accent’ despite her north London roots.
As well as perfecting her wholesome image in the kitchen she has also turned her hand to writing.
But things couldn’t look more different now as she fills her time with baking, writing books and popping up at all manner of royal events (seen promoting one of her books)
She has previously published two autobiographies, as well as a series of children’s novels about nine-year-old Ugenia Lavender.
Geri has previously revealed she took writing advice from the twice Booker prize-nominated novelist William Boyd and the bestselling children’s author Jacqueline Wilson for her books.
She has also compared novel-writing to writing song lyrics, describing both as forms of storytelling.
She told The Guardian last year: ‘You can tell a story in three minutes in a song… like an espresso shot of coffee, or you can tell a story in a novel which is like a long meal.’
Both are ‘different ways to connect with the power of word’, she said.
Geri is also no stranger to attending royal events over the years.
Geri is also no stranger to attending royal events over the years. Things began all the way back in 1997, the Spice Girls met King Charles, then the Prince of Wales, to celebrate the 21st Anniversary Of The Prince’s Trust charity.
Seen with Prince William in 2023
Things began all the way back in 1997, the Spice Girls met King Charles, then the Prince of Wales, to celebrate the 21st Anniversary Of The Prince’s Trust charity.
Mel B asked Charles out for dinner and broke royal protocol by giving him a kiss on the cheek – but Geri went one step further and told him ‘you’re very sexy’ and gave him a big red lipstick kiss on the cheek and a ‘pat’ on the bum.
The Spice Girls star spoke about her flirty behaviour with the royal years later. ‘I didn’t pinch Prince Charles’s bum, as was reported. I patted it,’ she said.
‘Patting him on the bottom was against royal protocol but we’re all human. There was a lot of nervous energy, young women, happy antics.’
The pair became good friends with Charles even writing to Geri when she announced her departure from the Spice Girls.
He wrote: ‘The group will not be the same without you. What will I do without your wonderfully friendly greeting?
‘Really wanted you to know how deeply I’ve appreciated your great generosity to my Prince’s Trust and how much I wish you well for whatever the future holds.’
Then for her first solo performance after leaving the Spice Girls, Geri performed for the then Prince of Wales for his 50th birthday celebrations in 1998 at the the Lyceum Theatre in London’s West End.
Wearing a blue 50s-ispired ballgown by designer Kenny Ho, Geri performed her own version of Happy Birthday and blew Prince Charles a kiss.
Over twenty years later and she has since appeared with the monarch at numerous charity events.
In 2023, Geri and the King looked happy to see one another again as they shared a hug at the star-studded Trust Awards.
She accompanied her husband Christian to Buckingham Palace when he was made a Commander of the British Empire by King Charles last December
Geri even gave Charles an encouraging pep talk, telling him ‘you’re a very modern king’ after kissing him on both cheeks.
Speaking to Hello in 2019 at the annual Prince’s Trust Invest in Futures event, Geri admitted that her long-standing relationship with the King made her consider him an honorary member of the Spice Girls.
‘I feel like Prince Charles, his royal highness, is part of the landscape of the Spice Girls’ journey,’ Geri said.
Meanwhile, Geri was announced as one of the inaugural Ambassador for the Royal Commonwealth Society in 2020 and has since assisted the running of the Commonwealth Essay Competition alongside Queen Camilla.
She was seen at the annual Commonwealth Day service in March where she cut her usual chic figure in a white and navy dress.
She accompanied her husband Christian to Buckingham Palace when he was made a Commander of the British Empire by King Charles last December.
Romantic life
Before settling down into her ‘wholesome’ marriage at her Oxfordshire home with Christian – there were more wild allegations made about her romantic life.
It has previously been claimed that during her time in the Spice Girls she had a lesbian fling with fellow member Mel B.
In 2019, Mel B insisted the pair had a one-night stand during their time in the band.
Scary Spice said that Geri would be mad at her for disclosing the fling because ‘she’s all posh in her country house with her husband’.
Mel B said in 2019 while on Piers Morgan’s Life Stories: ‘She is going to hate me for this because she is all posh with her country house and her husband, but it’s a fact. But it wasn’t a thing, it just happened and we just giggled at it and that was it.’
When Morgan enquired how frequently they slept together, Mel B added: ‘Oh stop it, you pervert’, before eventually confirming there was a solitary sexual encounter.
Geri was reportedly mortified when bandmate Mel B revealed they had once shared a sexual encounter
Fast forward to more recently and Geri and Christian’s perfect marital image was rocked last February when he was caught up in an alleged sexting scandal which nearly cost him his job
Geri’s decision to leave the Spice Girls in 1998 was widely rumoured to have been down to rows with Mel B.
Clearly unhappy with dirty laundry being aired years on, Geri’s rep previously issued a statement, after reports circulated claiming she and Mel had had a secret relationship.
It said: ‘It has been very disappointing to read about all these rumours again, especially on Mother’s Day of all days. ‘Geri is really grateful for your support and loyalty for so many years.
‘She loves the Spice Girls: Emma, Melanie, Melanie and Victoria. She would like you to know that what has been reported recently is simply not true and has been very hurtful to her family.’
Fast forward to more recently and Geri and Christian’s perfect marital image was rocked last February when he was caught up in an alleged sexting scandal which nearly cost him his job.
The motor-racing guru was accused of ‘inappropriate behaviour’ by a female colleague at the start of February 2024 and the tranche of WhatsApp messages allegedly between him and the woman were leaked to the media, including 149 Formula 1 figures.
Christian strongly denied allegations about his conduct and later won the fight of his life following an investigation into the Red Bull team principal.
Christian was cleared of any wrongdoing after a three-week inquiry.
In a statement, 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.’
Former popstar Geri stood resolutely by him throughout the ordeal but was said to be ‘devastated’ by the jolt to their lives at the time.
A source told Mail Plus last year: ‘When they started out, they had so much negative press because Geri was portrayed as a home-wrecker.
‘But they have worked very, very hard to turn that corner and change how they are perceived.’
The allegations were made by a close colleague, with Red Bull GmbH in Salzburg, confirming an internal investigation 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.