English pop singer-songwriter, clothes designer, author and actress. Halliwell came to international prominence in the 1990s as Ginger Spice, a member of the successful girl group the Spice Girls; together they sold over 80 million records worldwide, making them one of the best selling girl groups of all time. Their chart-topping singles, “Wannabe” and “Say You’ll Be There,” made “Ginger Spice,” the notorious red-head with the provocative costumes and saucy behavior, a household name.
Born Geraldine Estelle Sjovik, she grew up in Watford, England, the daughter of a Swedish-English father and a Spanish mother. Geri was the youngest of five children. As a child, she was the “odd one out,” teased because she was much shorter than the other girls. She would make up stories about herself and listen to music to compensate for a life she saw as uneventful. The mischievous, big-hearted girl, who once described herself as a “mongrel,” aspired to be like her idol, Madonna, and knew she wanted more from life than Watford could offer.
By the late 1980s, she was on her way, first to Majorca where she became a model, and then to Turkey for a stint as a game show hostess. On the road to success, she worked as a club dancer, an aerobics instructor, a cleaner and a barmaid. In March 1994, the ex-topless model responded to an ad, and joined “The Spice Girls.” Naturally endowed with strong leadership abilities, Geri quickly gained a reputation as the girl who spoke her mind, to anyone and about anything. Described as “heaps of fun to be with,” she was a fan favorite. The group starred in 1997’s “Spiceworld,” but by mid-1998, there were rumors of discontent, and Halliwell abruptly announced she was leaving the group, saying later, “I had to go, get my feet back on the ground.” In 1999, Halliwell launched her solo career and released her debut album “Schizophonic”.
Once on her own, she underwent a radical transformation. Formerly described as naughty, bossy and totally independent, Geri now adopted a natural, demure look. She sold the outfits she wore as Ginger Spice, and raised £150,000 for Sergeant Cancer Care for Children. She traveled to Uganda for “Comic Relief,” and in the fall of 1998, she was appointed a Goodwill Ambassador by the United Nations. In mid-1999, she released her first solo album, “Schizophonic,” and signed a multi-million dollar contract with EMI Records.
At age 18, she had a benign tumor removed from her breast; as a result, she became active in raising breast cancer awareness. Halliwell has a tattoo of a black panther and a sun on her back, as well as a pierced navel, which reportedly took six months to heal.
On 3/14/2001, Geri’s driving license was suspended for sic months for driving her Aston Martin DB7 double the speed limit north of London.
The former Spice Girl welcomed her daughter Bluebell Madonna on May 14, 2006 at 9 pm in London. The father is rumored to be Sacha Gervaise.
Halliwell began dating Christian Horner, the Team Principal of the Infiniti Red Bull Racing Formula One team in February 2014; the couple announced their engagement in The Times in November 2014. Their wedding took place on Friday 15 May 2015 at St Mary’s Church in Woburn, Bedfordshire.
Halliwell gave birth to her second child, a son, named Montague George Hector Horner on 21 January 2017. This is her first child with Horner.
Link to Wikipedia biography