Christian Horner tried to down play sext scandal by telling wife Geri Halliwell that probe was over ‘promotion row’

CHRISTIAN Horner tried to down play his sext scandal by telling Geri Halliwell his probe was over a “promotion row”, it was claimed.

The Spice Girl, 51, presented a united front with the under-fire F1 Red Bull boss before and after ­yesterday’s Bahrain Grand Prix.

GettyRed Bull boss Christian Horner and his wife Geri Halliwell put on a united front as the pair was rocked by Horner’s sext leak[/caption]

PAGeri shared an ­awkward hug and kiss with hubby Horner[/caption]

GettyThe pair pictured tense as they walked along the paddock[/caption]

The pair’s public displays of affection came as sources close to Geri revealed how Horner reportedly first described the situation as a workplace row.

The Sun learned that Geri knew of the female employee at the centre of the texting scandal.

A Red Bull insider said she even approved of the woman working in Horner’s team, who later visited the couple’s home.

The insider said: “When Christian first told her about the situation, he said he had fallen out with a woman who wanted promotion and more responsibility in Red Bull.

“So he sold it to Geri as a workplace row and she accepted that. So Geri is now fuming that there appears to be more to this.”

Sources added that furious Geri “read the riot act” to Horner but put on a brave face for the cameras — to her husband’s “relief”.

Ginger Spice — in high heels, a white designer dress and clutching a Hermes bag — strode hand-in-hand with her ­husband to a hospitality area ahead of the race yesterday.

Horner then leaned in to plant an ­awkward kiss on his wife’s cheek while putting his arm around her back.

After Red Bull’s world champ Max Verstappen stormed to victory in the season opener yesterday, Geri was clasped tightly by her husband as she flashed a forced-looking smile for the cameras.

Horner gushed: “It’s been the best ­possible start to the season, very clinical and well-executed. The perfect start.”

An F1 paddock source said: “Christian is relieved and thrilled by Geri’s show of support.

“He was really happy she had flown out and was with him.

“They had time to discuss everything and she must have accepted his explanations to a point to turn out to support him.”

But showbiz insiders said Ginger Spice had considered the future of her nine-year marriage to Horner, father of her seven-year-old son.

She will most likely bunker down in the couple’s Cotswolds country home and make her decision behind closed doors, the Daily Mail reported.

One close to the singer said: “A lot of people who know her are astonished by this show of support. There is absolutely no doubt she is furious and has read him the riot act over what has happened.

“There are questions about her future with him and she let him know in no uncertain terms. It’s uncertain whether their marriage will survive but she is ­giving it a good chance by showing him support, at least in public.

“But deep down she must be hurt, humiliated and very, very angry. However, this does at least show she hasn’t gone nuclear and run to the first expensive divorce lawyer she can find.”

Geri’s worried pals also said she is said to have “felt like a fool” for trusting her “prince charming” husband Christian Horner after he played down sexting claims.

Friends of the star reportedly stated it would “break her heart” to end things with Christian, whom she considers the “Prince Charming” she has waited for since she was a little girl.

An insider said: “She acts on impulse a lot. She has a temper on her, that’s for sure, and doesn’t Christian know it.

“But the question now that her inner circle is asking is whether Christian will be sent to the dog house for a few days or whether this is it for good.

A source close to the pop star, who was on a Bahrain-bound private jet when the messages emerged, told The Sun Horner tried to play down the scandal.

They said: “Geri is heartbroken and feels utterly humiliated. She trusted him when he tried to play down the scandal.

“He always told her he’d done nothing wrong. This will really hurt Geri, who has put everything into their marriage.”

“She worked hard for all of this, she jumped through hoops to get him, so will she dump him?”

It is understood Geri went “into meltdown” when she landed in Bahrain to discover Horner’s sext leak.

Her concerned pals added she seemed “fragile” when they saw her a few weeks ago.

Instagram @therealgerihalliwellSources close to the Spice Girl said she is now evaluating the next steps in her marriage to Horner[/caption]

Instagram/gerihalliwellhornerThe couple has been married for nine years and share a seven-year-old son[/caption]

Instagram / gerihalliwellhornerGeri was said to have ‘felt like a fool’ for trusting her ‘prince charming’ husband[/caption]

GettyHorner and Geri pose after the F1 Grand Prix of Italy at Autodromo di Monza in 2014[/caption]