She put on a united front with her husband last week – packing on the PDA at the Bahrain Grand Prix as the Formula 1 boss’ texting scandal continued to threaten their nine-year marriage.
But as Closer went to press, Geri Horner’s solidarity appeared to be waning amid reports the former Spice Girl, 51, had decided not to join Christian, 50, at the Saudi Arabia Grand Prix.
Her loved-up display with Christian in Bahrain came just days after a series of flirtatious WhatsApp messages and pictures – allegedly sent by the former racing car driver to a female colleague – were leaked to a number of journalists and sports bosses.
The scandal blew up just 24 hours after he was cleared of any inappropriate behaviour.
And as reports emerged that the “fuming” mum-of-two – who shares seven-year-old son, Monty, with Christian – read her husband the riot act and demanded he cut contact with the employee, insiders say she’s been turning to close friends for support.
The source says, “Geri’s doing her best to put on a brave face, but behind the scenes she’s a wreck and she’s admitted she’s in survival mode right now as she contemplates her future.
“After all the media attention in Bahrain, she decided she couldn’t face going through it all again, and while Christian was desperately trying to change her mind, her friends encouraged her to stay back after some very emotional outbursts with her inner circle, who feared she’d break if she was forced to plaster on a smile in public again.
“She’s credited her close network of friends for keeping her sane over the last couple of weeks – admitting that if it wasn’t for her ‘rocks’, she may have completely crumbled.
“Ronnie [Wood], his wife Sally, Mary [Fitzgerald], Rylan [Clark] and her hairstylist, Craig Marsden, have been her go-to ‘therapists’ as she calls them, in addition to Mel C and Emma Bunton, who she’s particularly close to.
“Going through a painful divorce himself, Rylan has encouraged Geri not to let her mind race along with the rumour mill and both he and Craig have been the ones on the phone to her late at night consoling Geri when she’s at her lowest – both quietly urging her to take some time out and steer clear of the spotlight.
“Craig’s been in New Zealand but he’s been messaging and speaking with Geri constantly – checking in throughout the day and sending her funny reels and memes to distract her and try to avoid her mind from spinning.”
Last week, it was revealed that Geri was friends with the woman who reportedly received the racy messages – even vouching for her to work alongside her husband.
Meanwhile, her marriage continued to dominate headlines, with numerous public debates over whether the former pop star should divorce the sports boss for his alleged “digital infidelity”.
And as Christian continued to furiously deny the allegations and fight for his position at Red Bull, insiders say Geri – who’s also mum to Bluebell, 17, and step-mum to Christian’s daughter, Olivia, 10 – was feeling torn over her future.
The source says, “Geri’s head is a mess right now and she goes from wanting to stand by the man she loves to wanting to run away and leave him.
“Her friends have advised her to get some space – urging her to take a few days away to sort her head out and take time to think before making any emotionally-charged decisions.
“She’s looking into going to a yoga retreat somewhere in Europe for a few days with Sally [Wood], which she knows will do her good and help her get some distance from it all while she decides her next move.
“She loves Christian and desperately wants to believe him and make their marriage work, but right now she doesn’t know who to trust and is determined not to act rashly and to ensure that she protects herself and her children in whatever decision she makes.”