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It's all halli-well
Geri Horner tells Spice Girls critics to ‘f*** off’ over claims tour is in jeopardy and says ‘we are having a blast’
The girl group's return is the entertainment event of the year
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AGAINST all odds, on Friday night at Dublin’s Croke Park the Spice Girls will finally reunite – after facing weeks of rumours about infighting, rows and ill health.
But breaking her silence today, Geri Horner has a clear message to the group’s detractors: “You think, ‘Oh f*** off!’”
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The highly anticipated return of the biggest girl group ever is the entertainment event of the year, and Geri insists the band’s four remaining members — herself, Mel B, Mel C and Emma Bunton — will be “celebrating together” this week.
“That’s exactly what we’ll be doing — with all of our imperfections, all our faults, but celebrate the good bits too,” Geri tells me in her only interview during a break from intense rehearsals for the girls’ sold-out 13-date stadium tour, which closes on June 15 at Wembley.
“No one is perfect but it’s all fine. We’re having a blast. It’s an absolute laugh.”
In case you’ve been living under a rock, headlines have swirled since Mel B decided to claim during a recording of Piers Morgan’s Life Stories show on ITV that she had an historic lesbian fling with Geri.
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But Geri, 46, disputes there is a split in the band, saying: “Our relationship is really good. We’ve all been really positive, so it’s nice. It’s natural. I’m really happy, everyone’s happy.”
So why does she think people focus on talk of dissent in the band?
“It’s human nature,” she says. “I try and focus on what’s important now. Let’s enjoy what we have now, what’s real and what’s important.
“It’s all fine so I feel lucky. We keep on pinching ourselves because we’re trying to enjoy the journey.”
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As if to illustrate just how fine it all is, Geri tells me her F1 boss husband Christian Horner — who was reported to be not all too happy with Scary’s blabbermouth — has even been to watch the band’s rehearsals.
“Yeah, he’s lovely,” she says excitedly. “He came and had a little preview, he watched a bit of rehearsals, that was nice. He’s been very supportive.”
The Spice Kids are also involved, including Geri’s two-year-old son Monty. Geri, also mum to Bluebell, 13, says: “Monty is coming, he’ll be whizzing around the stadium on his tractor.”
But Geri will not commit to further gigs after the UK’s summer shows, despite the belief Mel B — who on Sunday revealed yesterday is battling an eye injury — wants to take the Spice show to the US and Australia.
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Mel B practices for Spice Girls tour in LA alone as Emma Bunton, Geri Halliwell and Mel C beam after rehearsals in UK
“No,” Geri says. “I’m just seeing how it goes, particularly because of my children. It’s about trying to find balance. This tour is about celebrating girl power for the fans. It needs to happen at this moment in time. I’m not even thinking about the future. I’m being in the now.”
But Geri seems more open to the idea of a new Spice Girls album — something Mel B has also been pushing for.
She explains: “That has always been my favourite bit, getting into the studio. And I love the writing. That was my most confident thing to do. Poems and music, I’m confident with. But we will see. I’m not putting pressure on myself.
“This isn’t a major career move, this is about having fun and celebrating with the girls and the fans. I have a busy life with my children and my husband but this felt like a nice thing to do.”
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That is not to say the entire process has been a joy.
The preparation has been hard work for the girls, now in their 40s and balancing solo careers with responsibilities as mothers. Geri admits: “It’s been a bit of a journey. I have always loved dancing but I don’t like learning choreography.
“I’m a bit tired, I’m not going to lie, because it’s long, long hours. We’ve all got children and that has been an incredible juggle, just like for a lot of modern mothers.
“Monty woke up at 5.36am today then it’s a ten-hour day of rehearsals until 10pm. That’s quite pushing for me. But I love harmonising with the other girls, it’s a beautiful thing.
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“The girls are all such great singers, they are all so talented.”
One area where there is difference of opinion in the band is over Victoria Beckham who, according to recent reports, does not intend to even be at any of the shows.
That situation will not be helped by Mel B also claiming on the Piers Morgan chat show that Posh Spice is a “bit of a bitch”.
Geri remains close to Victoria and is adamant she should not be criticised. She says: “She is doing her own thing. There is a lot of speculation but there has to be respect for other people’s lives.
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“The last thing Victoria needs is pressure. She has four children and she’s running a business.
“We love Victoria and respect where she is at and what she has going on. I spoke to her on Bluebell’s birthday last week.”
As the only other Spice Girl to have quit the band and spent time on the outside, Geri believes she has a unique idea of what Victoria is going through.
She says: “I understand that, I’ve experienced it. I’m the only one who knows what it feels like, it isn’t easy.
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"The mind will get FOMO (fear of missing out), it’s natural and OK. She is our sister, we love her and I understand. Everyone needs to back off her and be kinder. Our fans respect what we stand for and that is being kind.”
The Spice Girls have always been surprisingly connected to politics — helping to usher in a new wave of feminism in the Nineties and being early advocates of Brexit.
Now, with the country divided over leaving Europe, Geri wants to use the Union Jack to bring the country back together.
Geri, famed for the Union Jack minidress she wore at the 1997 Brit Awards, says: “It’s a celebration, as a country, of coming together.
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Mel B finally reunites with Geri Halliwell as she flies into Spice Girls rehearsals for their tour
"We celebrate all races, genders, fluidity, all of it — everyone is welcome. We want everyone to know they belong in the Spice World.”
But there are some secrets Geri is keeping until the tour’s opening night on Friday, including whether her red, white and blue dress will reappear, or whether she will dye her hair back to the bright ginger that made her famous.
She teases: “You’ll have to wait and see. I won’t spoil any surprises. You’ll have to come to the party.”
Geri believes the Spices ushered in a generation of millennials who are now making genuine social change. She says: “There’s now Generation Spice.
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“The people that loved us at a certain age are now young adults. They’re confident in who they are as individuals. They’re proud if they’re gender fluid and of their individuality.
“It’s so not about labels. Everything is accepted in this country that we are so lucky to live in.”
That is not to say there are not disagreements in the band.
Geri says: “Do you want to be right? Or do you want to be happy? When you get older, you realise you don’t need to share the exact same opinion to get along.
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“You’ll see that with the five houses — there’s House of Scary, House of Ginger, House of Baby and House of Sporty.
“But somehow, we manage to get along. Just like Great Britain. And if we can do it, anyone can do it. It’s like England, Scotland, Ireland and Wales. We’re all different but we all love each other. It’s remembering that.”
As well as preparing for the mega stadium tour, the girls have partnered again with Walkers crisps — just like they did 22 years ago.
Geri says: “That’s why we said yes, it felt like everything has got to feel a good synergy and DNA with the band and our history.
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“The ad is so funny. Mel C gives the best side-eye ever. Mel B is full-on funny and Emma is just delightful.”
The campaign — The Best Ever Fan Challenge — is Walkers’ biggest ever and gives Spice fans the chance to prove who are the biggest enthusiasts and to meet the band. Expect it to be plastered all over the TV and billboards.
Geri is nervous and excited in equal measure about the band’s comeback but there was never a doubt in her mind that it had to happen. Not to benefit the Spice Girls bank account, but the mood of Great Britain.
She says: “This isn’t just about us. Everybody knows this is a moment for our country.
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“Because deep down, if you think about it, no matter what one might think about policy, we all do really care about each other
“Britain is Great Britain, it is a wonderful nation to live in, it really is. We need to remember the best bits about ourselves.
Geri Horner invites Theresa May to spice up her life at Spice Girl's gig
By Steve Hawkes, Deputy Political Editor
THERESA May could be spicing up her life and going to a Spice Girl gig after being invited by Geri Horner.
The singer made the offer after lavishing praise on the “stoic” PM before the band’s comeback this Friday, revealing she felt for Mrs May following the “verbal assassination” she’s enduring.
Downing Street last night said she was “considering” the invite as No.10 geared up for another Brexit battle in the Commons.
A source said: “We’re grateful for the message.” After launching in Dublin, the Spice Girls’ tour reaches London in the middle of June with three consecutive gigs at Wembley Stadium.
The third – on June 15 – coincides with an extraordinary Tory grassroots AGM on the PM’s future.
Geri – famed for THAT Union flag dress – told The Sun: “I really want Theresa May at the show.
“I’m not talking about politics, can you imagine showing up to work every day and getting verbally assassinated by all the people around you?
“It doesn’t matter who you are, if you face that at work, I feel really sorry for her. Come on, give the woman some credit, she’s certainly stoic. And she wears great jewellery.
“I would love if she came out of No 10 and did some ‘everybody shuffling’.”
The PM poked fun at her dancing skills, sparked by a viral clip of her dancing with school children in Africa last August, at the Tory conference in October when she entered the stage to the theme of Abba classic Dancing Queen.
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“We’re so inclusive, so accepting, so forward-thinking. We set the tone in music from way back. From Queen Elizabeth I, we’ve been brilliant.”
Walkers is giving fans an exclusive chance to meet the Spice Girls on their reunion tour. For your chance to be crowned the No1 fan, share a video or image on social using #BestEverFan.
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You can now stay in the original Spice Bus for £99 a night on Airbnb
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