‘Emotional’ Geri Halliwell on ‘denial mission’ as she ‘puts on PR performance’ alongside ‘awkward’ Christian Horner

GERI Halliwell is on a "denial mission" and today put on a PR performance, a body language expert claims.

The Spice Girl, 51, was seen for the first time this afternoon - walking hand-in-hand with husband Christian Horner at the Bahrain Grand Pix.

Her presence came as a surprise after 'sexts' allegedly sent by Horner were leaked while she was jetting to the Middle East to stand by his side.

But with Horner's hand on her back, Geri beamed as she greeted the mob of photographers awaiting her arrival.

She could be seen smiling up at her husband, before apparently candidly chatting to him at the trackside.

But the couple's apparent solidarity was not sincere, a body language expert claims.

Judi James said Horner appeared "awkward", while Geri was wearing a smile that looked forced - in an attempt to seem carefree.

Yesterday afternoon the content of WhatsApp messages allegedly sent by the Red Bull Racing boss were leaked.

The messages appeared to be sexually suggestive and flirty - with the boss requesting pictures from his female colleague.

The body language expert said Geri and Horner today were trying to send "a message of denial and bonded resilience".

She said the ex-Spice Girl was wearing a smile as though she was "posing for a catalogue shoot".

Judi told The Sun: "That in turn suggests she’s putting in some emotional effort to try to look carefree and natural.

"Her smile looks performed and that outward flick of her right hand and lower arm hint at inner tension causing rigidity."

The expert said their body language, with their hands pulled closer to Geri's body, suggested this was a PR performance of "loyalty and togetherness".

"The way she grasps Christian's hand suggests she’s being the decisive one here," Judi added.

"It looks as though she has taken over control here and decided to show a message of togetherness to the world."

It comes as

• Horner broke his silence after the string of shock texts to a female colleague were leaked.
• Geri Halliwell's marriage to Christian Horner is said to be "in question" following the sext leak
• The Spice Girl is said to have "felt like a fool" after Horner played down sexting claims
• Geri was "left humiliated" as she faces the "worst PR crisis of her career"
• A mole close to the Red Bull Racing camp allegedly detonated the Christian Horner sexting scandal in a bid to oust the F1 team boss
• The Red Bull Racing boss was cleared of sending improper texts to a female employee a day before the bombshell leak
• Formula One chief Mohammed Ben Sulayem broke his silence after his showdown with Christian Horner.
• Max Verstappen breaks silence on boss' sext scandal and admits he's "distracted"

She said this made it appear as though Geri was on a "denial mission".

Judi added that Horner looked "awkward" with one hand in his pocket, suggesting a "desire to hide".

She continued: "He doesn’t meet Geri’s eye contact when she throws a pinging beam at him as though trying to prompt him to return a loving smile."

The Spice Girl went for her signature white outfit, which she is known for wearing at F1 races.

It comes after Geri was said to have "felt like a fool" for trusting her "prince charming" husband after he played down sexting claims.

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.

Geri is heartbroken and feels utterly humiliated.

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?"

Earlier today, a smiling Horner appeared to have shrugged off his sext scandal as he arrived alone at the Bahrain Grand Prix.

The racing chief previously refused to comment on the leaked WhatsApp sexts, which were sent anonymously to F1 bosses and media outlets on Thursday.