Geri Halliwell has been left 'extremely humiliated' by F1 boss husband Christian Horner's 'texts leak' as friends say latest scandal 'will destroy her' after he had promised there was 'nothing in it'

Geri Halliwell has been left 'extremely humiliated' after a tranche of intimate messages her Formula One boss husband allegedly sent to a woman colleague were leaked last night.

Friends of the ex-Spice Girl told the Mail she thought the scandal had finally 'gone away' after Christian Horner was cleared of misconduct on Wednesday.

But now they warn the appearance of the intimate messages will 'destroy' 51-year-old Ms Halliwell.

One said: 'All along Christian promised there was nothing in it.'

She had stood by the 50-year-old motorsport executive during an independent investigation by his company after he was accused of coercive behaviour towards a woman employee.

Friends of the ex-Spice Girl told the Mail she thought the scandal had finally 'gone away' after Christian Horner (pictured on Thursday in Bahrain) was cleared of misconduct on Wednesday

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 messages come a day after Horner was told he would be cleared of a Red Bull probe into his behaviour 

After being clared free to stay on as team principal of the world-championship winning team on a salary of £8million a year

The Red Bull boss was cleared of wrongdoing, allowing him to keep his £8million-a-year job and fly out to Bahrain ahead of the season-opening Grand Prix on Saturday. Friends of his wife said she had been 'so very relieved' that her family could finally move on with their lives after Horner spent weeks under the spotlight.

But just 24 hours after being formally cleared, the Red Bull team principal's career and marriage appear to have been plunged back into chaos. Hundreds of WhatsApp exchanges purportedly between Horner and the colleague, some sexual in nature, were released via an anonymous email account.

There is no way of checking the validity of the lengthy and frequent messages which appear to switch between the mundane and the intimate.

The tranche of almost 80 screenshots – which included a number of images – were sent to hundreds of journalists and key figures in Formula One. One friend of the former Spice Girl said he now fears for how the star, who has been left mortified at the embarrassing fall out, will be able to comprehend such a public humiliation.

He said: 'Geri has been living in this happy, happy bubble for so many years now, she thought she had her prince and her knight in shining armour but now this.

'She thought that it had all gone away, she was delighted and over the moon when she learned Christian had been cleared.

Geri Halliwell faces fresh torment tonight after WhatsApp texts and photos said to have been exchanged between her F1 husband Christian Horner to a female employee are leaked. Pictured: Halliwell and Horner together at the Monaco Grand Prix last May

Halliwell and Horner attend the Gala Dinner for the F1 Grand Prix Of Monaco on May 28, 2023

Halliwell and Horner at the Larkhill Royal Artillery Point to Point in Wiltshire on January 27

'Geri was pilloried when she got together with Christian because he had just had another baby with another woman but she has worked hard to rid that image of herself and Christian, and in particular that she is a homewrecker.

'Now it has all come crashing down. The tears stopped when the judgment came in on Wednesday, now they absolutely will have started again. This will destroy her. All along Christian promised there was nothing in it.'

In recent weeks, Ms Halliwell was said to be 'mortified and angry' with her husband of almost ten years, who she has a seven-year-old son with, for humiliating her.

One source close to the star said that she 'wasn't sure what to believe' throughout the saga but was determined to get through it with their marriage unscathed.

'Geri is no fish wife but she finally got the man she wanted and she won't want to let him go. This could end up being a big dilemma for her,' the source said.

Among those to receive the file ahead of this weekend's race were FIA president Mohammed Ben Sulayem and F1 chief executive Stefano Domenicali.

The Spice Girls star said she is 'really grateful' to have Christian Horner as her 'best friend'

Horner and Halliwell in a holiday photograph taken on an unidentified beach over Christmas

The couple tied the knot at a star-studded ceremony at St Mary's Church in Woburn in 2015

All the team principals were also given copies, as well as Red Bull star Max Verstappen's father, Jos.

Shortly after the leak, Horner released a statement which read: 'I will not comment on anonymous speculation, but to reiterate I have always denied the allegations.

'I respected the integrity of the independent investigation and fully cooperated with it every step of the way. It was a thorough and fair investigation conducted by an independent specialist barrister, and it has concluded dismissing the complaint made. I remain fully focused on the start of the season.'

The world champion team's parent company, Red Bull GmbH in Salzburg, had launched a probe into the accusations against Horner on February 5.

Announcing its conclusion on Wednesday, the company 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. '

Horner, who has won 13 world championships since heading the team as a 31-year-old in 2005, had previously thanked his 'very supportive wife' for her backing during the accusations.