Daily Record

Will two become one?

Geri jets to husband amid ‘flirty’ texts crisis

- BY LAURA ARMSTRONG AND JEREMY ARMSTRONG

geri Horner has flown into Bahrain to join husband Christian after alleged flirty messages he sent to another woman left her humiliated.

And a source claimed last night the former Spice Girl has been in crisis talks with her team amid fears the texts, leaked online and shared by thousands of people, will affect both her marriage and her reputation.

Geri, 51, had told pals she would not meet Red Bull Formula 1 boss Horner over the alleged messages after it was understood she found out about them, but his family talked her into it.

And while she was on her flight to the Gulf state, the texts went public.

The source said: “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.

“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.”

Geri was said to be “distraught and humiliated” after the allegedly inappropri­ate messages and photos were sent to 149 individual­s involved in Formula 1 including FIA president Mohammed Ben Sulayem, and the media. Reports in Bahrain suggested Christian was due to meet Ben Sulayem yesterday about the email leak, which came just 24 hours after he was cleared by an internal inquiry over claims he displayed “coercive behaviour” towards a female colleague.

It is understood Red Bull was looking at the images contained in the leak.

They came from an email address named Feb Twenty Ninth using a Google Drive link of WhatsApp messages and photos, sent at 6.14pm Bahrain time on Thursday

They appear to be private messages between Horner and a female member of staff.

Horner, who had denied all allegation­s against him, had told of his relief at being cleared by the internal inquiry. He said: “I respected the integrity of the independen­t investigat­ion and fully cooperated with it every step of the way.”

He reiterated his denials after the release of the emails on Thursday.

But he could now find himself under further scrutiny.

He said last night: “I am not going to comment on anonymous speculatio­n from unknown sources.”

The FIA’s Internatio­nal Sporting Code contains a subsection which hints at the moral responsibi­lity competitor­s have, and says being in breach of their rules is “punishable, whether (...) committed intentiona­lly or through negligence”.

Horner, in Bahrain preparing for the first F1 race of the season, has allowed his private life to be filmed for Netflix series Drive To Survive.

In a recent episode he was enjoying time at home with Geri in Christmas 2022. In another the pair chat about a driver who failed to land a grid seat.

Geri has been locked in crisis talks this week SOURCE ON FORMER SPICE GIRL’S TRAUMA

 ?? ?? CLOSE BOND Geri and Horner in 2019
CLOSE BOND Geri and Horner in 2019
 ?? ?? CLAIMS Red Bull boss in Bahrain for practice yesterday
CLAIMS Red Bull boss in Bahrain for practice yesterday

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