Spice Girls fans were left heartbroken last week when Geri Horner pulled the plug on another reunion tour amid reports her long-running feud with Mel B has turned increasingly ugly.
But insiders tell Closer that the real reason behind the mum-of-two’s shock decision is due to her ongoing marital drama with husband, Christian, 50, who was embroiled in a sexual harassment scandal earlier this year.
Despite the Red Bull boss being cleared of the allegations made by a female employee for a second time earlier this month following an appeal, pals say it’s left Geri in a fragile state amid rumours that their nine-year marriage may be on the brink. A source says, "While Geri and Mel aren’t the best of friends, ultimately it was the stress that’s been put on her marriage that led her to pull out, as she simply isn’t in any state to throw herself into another tour – let alone deal with the public scrutiny that will undoubtedly come with it.
“Her and Mel have always had a love-hate relationship and Geri often joked about being the ‘granny’ of the band, being the oldest. She wasn’t offended by Mel’s most recent ‘Birthday’ jibe – it certainly wasn’t enough of a reason to turn down banking millions of pounds and the chance to do what she loves doing most – performing on stage in front of thousands of fans. “It’s no secret her marriage has been put under heavy strain over the last few months and right now, her focus is on getting her relationship back on track and concentrating on her family.”
Reports of a feud came just a week after Mel B, 49, was accused of making a dig at her bandmate’s expense with an Instagram post to mark her 52nd birthday which read, ‘Happy 75th birthday ginge’, alongside an old snap which many thought was unflattering.
The pair also reportedly had a ‘frosty reunion’ at former bandmate Victoria Beckham’s 50th birthday party in April after Mel claimed Geri had lied about her age in an interview.
During an appearance on Piers Morgan’s Life Stories in 2019, Mel claimed their friendship was put under strain after the pair had sex at the height of their fame in the nineties – something Geri fiercely denied and said had been ‘hurtful to her family’. And despite patching up their differences for their tour later that year, pals say their historic feud was a convenient excuse to get out of another reunion.
The source adds, “Geri loves being on stage with the girls and while her and Mel have had their differences, it would never stop her from doing what she loves.
“This is very much a cover-up which conveniently helps her avoid having to blame it on her marital drama. With everything that has happened over the last few months, she wants to continue taking time out away from the spotlight so her and Christian can repair the damage this has had on their marriage and come out of this storm stronger than ever.”
