Happy Birthday Ginger Spice! Geri Horner turns 50 today!
As a member of the Spice Girls – the biggest selling girl group of all time – Geri has enjoyed a rather flavourful life, she is Ginger Spice after all.
The former glamour model cemented herself as a British and global icon known for her fierce persona, flamboyant fashion and fiery red hair.
Whilst we wish Geri a rather spicy 50th birthday today (06.08.22) let’s take a look back at some of the most iconic moments from her career.
Happy Birthday Ginger Spice!
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As a member of the Spice Girls – the biggest selling girl group of all time – Geri has enjoyed a rather flavourful life, she is Ginger Spice after all. The former glamour model cemented herself as a British and global icon known for her fierce persona, flamboyant fashion and fiery red hair. Whilst we wish Geri a rather spicy 50th birthday today (06.08.22) let’s take a look back at some of the most iconic moments from her career.
Early Life
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She was Geraldine Estelle Halliwell before she became Ginger Spice. Born on 6 August 1972, Geri was the daughter of Ana Maria and Laurence Francis Halliwell. She is of Spanish, Swedish and French descent. Geri was raised on a council estate and attended Watford Grammar School for Girls.
Bares it all
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Before breaking into the music industry Geri worked as a dancer at a nightclub in Majorca as well as a glamour model where she bared it all on Page 3 of The Sun newspaper. The photos were published in magazines such as Playboy after she found fame.
Girl Power
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1n 1994, Geri Halliwell became a member of the Spice Girls alongside Melanie C, Mel B, Victoria Beckham and Emma Bunton. They were the five hopefuls chosen from around 400 women after responding to an advertisement in The Stage magazine. After signing to Virgin records in 1995, their debut single ‘Wannabe’ was released the following year. Despite receiving mixed reviews from the critics, it became an international hit topping the charts in multiple countries including the UK, Australia, Belgium and Germany. In 1996 their first album ‘Spice’ was released selling 23 million copies worldwide. ‘Spice’ became the highest selling album by a girl group and remains one of the best selling albums of all time.
Pinch of Ginger
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After joining the Spice Girls, the flamboyant star became known as Ginger Spice. Her fiery red hair, union jack dress and platform heels made her an icon and the epitome of a hell raising pop-star. The other four members of the band also took on pseudonyms with Victoria being called Posh Spice, Mel B named Scary Spice, Melanie C nicknamed Sporty Spice and Emma Bunton known as Baby Spice.
Solo Career
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In 1998, Geri left Spice Girls fans devastated when she announced she was leaving due to difference with the other members and her struggles with depression. Geri embarked on a solo career and released her debut single ‘Look at Me’ in May 1999 which was a commercial success and reached the top five in various charts across the globe. She also released her debut solo album ‘Schizophonic’ in the same year. In 2001 Geri released the hit single ‘It’s Raining Men’ from her second album ‘Scream If You Want To Go Faster’, which topped the charts in the UK and featured in the film 'Bridget Jones's Diary'.
Spice Up Your Life
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During Geri's time in the Spice Girls, the band starred in 1997 musical comedy film ‘Spice World’ as themselves. Bitten by the acting bug the star went on to play a supporting role in 2009’s action comedy ‘Crank: High Voltage’ alongside Jason Statham. The film was a commercial success grossing $34 million at the box office. Geri also appeared in 'Sex and the City' as well as numerous documentaries reality shows. Geri’s TV stints throughout the years have also included being a guest judge on talent shows including ‘The X Factor’, ‘American Idol’ and ‘RuPaul’s Drag Race’.
Autobiography
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Alongside her music and TV career, Geri released an autobiography in 1999 titled ‘If Only’. The book, which detailed her life as a member of Spice Girls, became a best seller, with more than a million copies being sold in the UK alone. Geri donated the profits from the sale to a Breast Cancer Charity. Three years later Geri wrote a follow up titled ‘Just for the Record’ in which she describes her sensational rise to fame and tumultuous showbiz lifestyle.
Spicy Marriage
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Eight years after giving birth to her daughter Bluebell Madonna, who she shares with her former partner Sacha Gervasi, Geri began dating Red Bull Formula 1 boss Christian Horner. Geri and Christian wed in May 2015 and she welcomed her second child in 2017, a son named Montague George Hector Horner.
Philanthropy
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In 1998 Geri became a Goodwill Ambassador for the United Nations Population Fund. As an ambassador Geri travelled to Zambia and other parts of Africa where she helped spread international awareness of the urgent need to halt the spread of HIV/AIDS. In 2009 Geri also visited Nepal as an advocate for women against domestic violence. Throughout the years Geri has met with a number of political leaders including the late South African president and activist Nelson Mandela and memorably pinched Prince Charles' bottom at a Royal Gala.
Viva Forever
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Geri quit the Spice Girls when they were at their peak in 1998 and the group went on an indefinite hiatus two years later. Geri reunited with the girls for ‘The Return of the Spice Girls’ tour in 2007 and again in 2012 to play at the closing ceremony of the London Olympics. In 2019 only four of the girls reunited for the ‘Spice World’ tour as Victoria Beckham did not take part. Numerous reunions have been rumoured since but nothing has come to fruition as yet.
Originally published on celebretainment.com, part of the TownNews Content Exchange.
