Geraldine Estelle Halliwell-Horner (née Halliwell; born 6 August 1972) is an English singer, songwriter, television personality, author, and actress. She rose to fame in the mid-1990s as a member of the pop group the Spice Girls, in which she was nicknamed Ginger Spice. With over 100 million records sold worldwide, the Spice Girls are the best-selling female group of all time. Their slogan "girl power" was most closely associated with Halliwell and her Union Jack dress from the 1997 Brit Awards also became an enduring symbol. Halliwell left the Spice Girls in 1998, citing exhaustion and creative differences, but rejoined when they reunited for a greatest hits album (2007) and two concert tours: the Return of the Spice Girls (2007–2008) and Spice World (2019).
After leaving the Spice Girls, Halliwell pursued a career as a solo artist, signing a recording contract with EMI. She released her debut album, Schizophonic (1999), which produced the UK number-one singles "Mi Chico Latino", "Lift Me Up" and "Bag It Up"; the lead single, "Look at Me", reached number two. Her second album, Scream If You Wanna Go Faster (2001), was preceded by the lead single, "It's Raining Men" and earned her a Brit Award nomination. Her third studio album, Passion (2005), produced the UK top five single "Ride It". In 2013, Halliwell made an unsuccessful return to the music industry in Australia with the release of her first solo single in eight years, "Half of Me".
Halliwell has served as a judge on television talent shows, including Popstars: The Rivals (2002), The X Factor UK (2010, 2012), and Australia's Got Talent (2013). She has appeared in the films Spice World (1997), Crank: High Voltage (2009), and Gran Turismo (2023). As an author, Halliwell has released two autobiographies: If Only (1999) and Just for the Record (2002); the children's book series Ugenia Lavender (2008), and the young adult novel series Rosie Frost (2023–present).
Early life[]
Geraldine Estelle Halliwell was born on 6 August 1972 at Watford General Hospital in Watford, Hertfordshire, the daughter of Ana María (née Hidalgo) and Laurence Francis Halliwell (1922–1993). Her mother is a Spaniard, hailing from Huesca, while her father was of Swedish, Finnish, English and a "bit of French" descent. Halliwell's paternal grandfather was a Swedish-speaking Finn, Mathias Karlson Sjövik, born in Korsnäs, Finland, who emigrated to Sweden. Halliwell grew up on a council estate in North Watford. She was educated at Watford Grammar School for Girls and Camden School for Girls. Before starting her music career, Halliwell had worked as a nightclub dancer in Majorca, a presenter on the Turkish version of Let's Make a Deal, and a glamour model. At the age of 19, she appeared as a Page 3 girl in The Sun. Following her rise to fame, nude photos of Halliwell were republished in a number of magazines such as Playboy and Penthouse in 1998.