Geri Halliwell-Horner’s mum turned 80 years old this month, and in pure pop star fashion, Geri threw her a fabulous summer party in the garden with plenty of space for singing and dancing.
The former singer-turned-author shared two videos on Instagram. In the first video, she dances in a circle with a group of women to the song 'Thank You for the Music' by ABBA.
In the second video shared in the carousel, we see Geri dancing to the sound of 'Gimme, Gimme, Gimme' by the Swedish group. The post was accompanied by a sweet message for her mum. It read: "Happy birthday Mama! 80 today [party emojis] Thank you for the music".
Her 1.4 million followers flooded the comments with love and congratulations for Ana María’s milestone birthday. "Happy Birthday to everyone’s favourite Spice mom", said one fan, "Spicing up her life!!", chimed another.
Some even suggested that she should involve her mum in her videos more, or consider a professional project they could do together. One fan already pitched an idea to the star: "I can see a TV programme where Geri / Ginger and her Mama do fitness in aged care places around Britain - bringing some total energy and a dancealong to morning TV."
Forever Ginger Spice
It’s hard to shake off your old life when you had such an incredible impact on an entire generation, so for most of her fans, Geri will always be first and foremost, their beloved Ginger Spice.
Lately, Geri is concentrating on very different professional endeavours, such as her career as a young adult books author, and her life as a fiery ginger seems firmly in the past.
But people saw a glimpse of her former pop star self in those videos and were immediately transported back to the '90s heyday of ‘Wannabe’ and the Spice Girls’ unforgettable rivalry with Oasis. This was only reinforced by her summery outfit of micro shorts and heels - two staples of her 90s wardrobe.
"Ginger jumped out in the second clip! Loves it! Unleash her, Geri!" said one, "GINGER IS ALIVE!!! I REPEAT: GINGER IS ALIVE!!!!" wrote another one.
"Ginger spice makes a return in the second video", many commented after seeing Geri happily singing and dancing surrounded by her family and friends.
Some die-hard Spice Girls fans still hope for a reunion. "Rehearsal for a new tour [smiley face]", hopes one of them.
A complicated time at home
Followers were particularly happy to see her smiling after the family had faced a tough few months.
Earlier this year, Geri’s husband, Christian Horner, stepped down from his role as team principal of the Red Bull Formula 1 team, which he had held for two decades.
His departure followed an investigation into allegations of inappropriate behaviour, which were later dismissed by the company after an internal review.
A spokesperson for Red Bull GmbH released a statement at the time. It read: "The independent investigation into the allegations made against Mr Horner is complete, and Red Bull can confirm that the grievance has been dismissed.
"The complainant has a right of appeal. Red Bull is confident that the investigation has been fair, rigorous and impartial.
"The investigation report is confidential and contains the private information of the parties and third parties who assisted in the investigation, and therefore, we will not be commenting further out of respect for all concerned. Red Bull will continue striving to meet the highest workplace standards."