She became embroiled in a scandal after her husband was accused of sending inappropriate messages to a female colleague.
But in an ultimate display of Girl Power, Geri Halliwell took to the stage at the Royal Albert Hall to defiantly insist she ‘belonged to no one’ after fearing the allegations against Red Bull boss Christian Horner would destroy her.
On Thursday night, she regained her power on stage and appeared poised and confident as she chose to read “All My Life I’ve Belonged to No Man” by 19th century radical feminist Flora Tristan during a star-studded edition of Letters Live.
The only reader to give an opening speech, she described Flora as an “inspiration” before reading the “wonderful” letter that she “couldn’t wait to share.”
“I think at least one person here needs to hear this letter tonight,” the 52-year-old told the packed audience at the Royal Albert Hall.
Dressed in a crisp white shirt and black bow tie, the Spice Up Your Life singer read: ‘A superior woman must be superior to everyone and in all circumstances.
Geri Halliwell took to the stage at the Royal Albert Hall to defiantly insist she ‘belonged to no one’ after fearing the allegations against Red Bull boss Christian Horner would destroy her (pictured earlier this year)
She became embroiled in a scandal after her husband was accused of sending inappropriate messages to a female colleague (pictured together in March)
Ms. Halliwell regained her power on stage Thursday evening and appeared poised and confident as she chose to read “All My Life I’ve Belonged to No Man” by 19th century radical feminist Flora Tristan during a star-studded edition of Letters Live.
“As for declarations of love, I have received hundreds of them, I have the great misfortune to be a beautiful woman.”
She concluded: “I am no longer angry at those who behave badly, even though it hurts me,” a statement that seemed to refer to the scandal that has thrown her personal life into disarray this year.
It comes just months after hundreds of alleged WhatsApp conversations between her Red Bull racing boss husband Christian Horner, 51, and a female colleague were released via an anonymous email account.
Mr Horner was accused of sending intimate text messages late at night to a woman in her 40s, who took her concerns to HR at the Formula 1 team.
He has since been cleared of wrongdoing after an internal investigation which allowed him to keep his £8million-a-year job.
At the time, friends of the ex-spice girl warned the scandal would “destroy” Ms Halliwell after she was left “extremely humiliated” by the embarrassing row.
The couple, who married in 2015 and share a seven-year-old son, are said to be putting the furor behind them despite fears their marriage was on the rocks this year.
At the time, sources claimed Ms Halliwell was ‘mortified and angry’ because she firmly supported him during the allegations, which he always denied.
During their pop heyday, the Spice Girls were known for encouraging feminism among their young fans with their slogan Girl Power (pictured at the 1997 Brit Awards)
It comes just months after the WhatsApp exchanges between her Red Bull racing boss husband Christian Horner, 51, and a female colleague were released via an anonymous email account
He has since been cleared of wrongdoing after an internal investigation which allowed him to keep his £8million-a-year job.
At the time, friends of the ex-spice girl warned the scandal would ‘destroy’ Ms Halliwell after she was left ‘extremely humiliated’ by the embarrassing row
The prosecutor was later suspended following the investigation’s findings, sparking anger from campaign groups who claimed that ‘women simply do not have confidence that their complaints will be properly investigated’.
The spotlight on Horner this year is said to have had an impact on the couple’s family life, which they split between their farm in Oxfordshire and a house in London.
While other stars made multiple appearances at the Letters Live event last night, Ms Halliwell later made a surprise disappearance and notably skipped the curtain call.
Benedict Cumberbatch was a commanding presence as he took three letters.
Dressed in a sharp black suit and tie, the Sherlock star at one point threw a leg on the lectern and laughed with an animated reading of a letter from Ross Beeley.
Just like in 2023, the 47-year-old took center stage during the curtain call as he led the cast to join hands.
Alan Carr was another comic highlight, bringing out his trademark flamboyance as he read out Joe Lycett’s letter, recounting a frightening experience at Euston Station.
The 47-year-old walked on stage and giggled through lines describing ‘a waterfall of post-masala s***’, earning him one of the loudest laughs of the night.
The closely guarded secret line-up also included Ian Wright, Jameela Jamil and Bella Ramsey.
Letters Live returned to London’s Royal Albert Hall last night for a special one-off show, marking the 200th anniversary of the RNLI with calls to support the life-saving organisation.
This year’s event follows in the footsteps of previous editions, with stars including Colin Firth, Carey Mulligan, Olivia Colman, Jude Law and Peter Capaldi.