Christian Horner has been dramatically sacked from his role as team principal and CEO of Red Bull Racing after 20 years – but it’s his personal life that has once again gripped headlines.

The former F1 boss, 50, found himself at the centre of controversy not just in the paddock, but also at home, after leaving his long-term partner, Beverley Allen, while she was pregnant – to pursue a romance with Spice Girls star Geri Halliwell.

Christian and Beverley had been together for 14 years and shared a life in Oxfordshire, where she supported him through the early years of his F1 journey. They welcomed daughter Olivia in 2014. But just six months after Olivia’s birth, Christian publicly confirmed his new relationship with Geri.

Their fast-moving romance led to an engagement in November 2014 and marriage in May 2015. However, the whirlwind courtship came at a personal cost. Christian’s parents were so hurt by the way he ended things with Beverley that they boycotted the wedding. One relative told the Sunday Mirror: “You can say that his parents are absolutely devastated. There’s a lot more to this story than people know.”

Sources close to the family described a deep rift, especially with Christian’s mother, who reportedly struggled to accept the circumstances around the breakup and the sudden emergence of Geri in his life.

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Despite the storm, Christian and Geri tried to move forward as a family. They announced in 2016 they were expecting a baby together, and in 2017, their son Monty was born. The couple now co-parent a blended family, including Geri’s daughter Bluebell, 18, Christian’s daughter Olivia, 11, and their youngest child, Monty.

While Geri has stood by Christian through his professional scandals – including last year’s inappropriate texting allegations – many are once again revisiting the early cracks in their love story, which left emotional wreckage behind the glamorous façade.