Geri Halliwell splits from toyboy love

Geri Halliwell is back on the market after dumping her toyboy lover Ivan ‘Flipz’ Velez.

The 36-year-old Spice Girl phoned her dancer boyfriend, 29, three weeks ago to tell him the bad news, which has apparently left him devastated.

The pair met while Geri was on the Spice world tour and began dating in April. They spent most of the summer together in Los Angeles with Geri’s daughter Bluebell.

According to a friend of the pair, Flipz now wants to try and convince his ex to change her mind and get back together.

“She called Flipz when she returned to the UK from LA and confessed that things just weren’t working for her,” the friend told Closer magazine.

“Geri said she’d hoped it would be an amazing love-of-her-life romance, but that the spark just wasn’t there. She couldn’t deal with the distance between them and thought it was best to end it before he got even more hurt.

“As far as Flipz was concerned they were strong together and had a bright future. They’d talked about kids and marriage. But I guess in her eyes, it just wasn’t meant to be,” the pal continued.

Despite splitting with Flipz it seems Ginger is keen to find someone to have a family with.

“Geri has been trying not to be too desperate to settle down and meet the man of her dreams – but she can’t help it.

“She has Bluebell, but wants to have more children. Geri is annoyingly picky about men and she gets impatient waiting for the right one to come along. It doesn’t help that she’s high maintenance – she scares a lot of men off.”

Geri is now thought to be finding comfort in the company of her good friend David Walliams, who she dated briefly last year and who remains very close to Bluebell

Geri Halliwell's fashion howler as she prances around in eye-watering purple tights

Fashion faux-pas: Geri's purple tights, on show in Kent last night, let down her otherwise elegant outfit

She used to be Ginger Spice, but purple was the colour when pop star-turned children's author Geri Halliwell stepped out this evening.

Switching on the Christmas lights at the Bluewater shopping centre in Kent, she arrived warmly wrapped up in a black minidress, furry coat and beret. In fact she could almost have passed for chic - save her odd choice of bright purple tights.

Perhaps Geri was taking her style lead from her children's book character Ugenia Lavender - or maybe her tights were a subtle way to promote it.

Most likely the former Spice Girl's style statement was purely an attempt to brighten up her otherwise sombre ensemble - nevertheless, it seems an odd choice for someone so famously figure-conscious.

Coloured tights are notoriously unflattering, even fashionistas who have hailed it the style of the season agree it's something to be left to the supermodels.

The fashion faux pas did not seem to deter eager young fans who happily posed for photos with the russet-haired star.

After switching on the shopping centre Christmas lights, Geri made a personal appearance at the Bluewater's Waterstones store to promote her latest Ugenia Lavender book.

The former pop star turned to writing children's books after the birth of her daughter Bluebell Madonna, now two.

Geri wasn' the only celebrity launching the Christmas shopping season this evening. Boy band McFly braved the cold in London to switch on the cobweb-like Christmas lights on Regent Street.

The bright tights were at odds with the smart furry jacket the former Spice Girl sported to switch on Bluewater's Christmas lights

McFly meanwhile appeared in London to switch on the Regent Street lights

Geri spices up Times great TOY APPEAL

GENEROUS: Geri Halliwell backs Times campaign

A FORMER Spice Girl turned children's author has exclusively backed the Kentish Times Christmas Toy Appeal.

'Ginger Spice' Geri Halliwell, 36, has thrown her weight behind our second annual campaign that last year saw hundreds of toys donated to children's wards in Bromley, Bexley, Woolwich and Dartford.

And the mum to two-year-old Bluebell Madonna has generously vowed to donate bagfuls of toys herself.

She said: "I have got a massive bag of toys that I was just about to throw away, perfectly good toys, and it would be such a shame to throw them away and would be very happy to give them to the Toy Appeal.

"I don't believe in waste at all, I try to recycle everything. I have learned the more you give, the more the world gives back to you. It feels good to give, no matter how small the gift.

"I have an abundance of toys that my kid has just grown out of, so I am glad they will go to good use."

She added: "It is so important to be grateful for what you have, we are all so lucky really. So many people have nothing at all.

"My message to all children in hospital this Christmas is just get well soon and you are being very brave - just keep it up. I wish you all a merry Christmas."

Ms Halliwell is due to read extracts from the latest of her children's books Ugenia Lavender: The One and Only before turning on the Christmas lights at Bluewater in Greenhithe tonight.

Ms Halliwell, sold over 55 million CDs during the 1990s when the Spice Girls stormed the charts with their feisty brand of 'girl power'.

Since leaving the group, she has enjoyed a successful reunion tour but is now focusing on her writing and role as a UN Goodwill Ambassador.

She added: "I try to speak to people's hearts and minds. I am not a political animal, I just care but I wouldn't claim to be a role model, I am just doing the best I can."

During her visit to Bluewater she will read from the new book in the Winter Wonderland at 4pm and sign copies at the Waterstone's bookstall before the Christmas light switch-on at 6pm.

There will then be a fireworks display, followed by an ice-skating performance at the Ice Rink and a chance to see Santa in his grotto.

Adele: Geri Halliwell broke my heart

Singer devastated when Ginger left the Spice Girls

Adele has revealed that she still hasn't forgiven Geri Halliwell for walking out on the Spice Girls.

The Chasing Pavements singer was a huge fan of Ginger, but was devastated when she left the band in May 1998.

‘Geri was my favourite Spice Girl, but she left and broke my heart, so I’m a Scary Spice girl now,’ she says.

'When I was young, I was planning to go to their show at Wembley as Geri. But just before I went, she left.

'I had to go as Mel C, and I was never that sporty. I haven’t forgiven Geri for that.’

Adele, 20, says she would be embarrassed to meet any of her teen idols now.

‘The only people I’d never want to meet would be my childhood heroes – the Spice Girls, East 17, Take That,’ she says.

‘It would be really bad, because they’d be normal people but I still think of them as superhuman.’

Geri's soothes kids to sleep

Sleepy head ... Geri Halliwell reads to tired kids

GERI Halliwell has proved she’s got a great bedside manner.

The Spice Girl settled down to read Little Red Riding Hood to sleepy children for Nick Jr’s Once Upon A Bedtime month.

The mum-of-one is the first celeb to become a storyteller on tonight’s A Bedtime Story with Arnie and Barnie.

Geri said: “I regularly read to my daughter Bluebell - it helps to settle her into a nightly routine, plus improves her imagination, vocabulary and listening skills.

“I especially enjoy inventing new stories and ideas with her.”

Watch Geri's bedtime story in our exclusive clip: http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/showbiz/tv/article1886748.ece

Donna Air, Duncan James, Jenny Frost, Jasmine Guinness and Gary Lucy will also tell popular tales to the channel’s young audience.

The new series starts on Monday, November 3 at 7.15pm on Nick Jr.

I'm backing Diana Vickers, says Geri Halliwell

X-FACTOR hopeful Diana Vickers has Spice Girl support after being named Geri Halliwell’s ‘favourite’.

Geri Halliwell, formerly Ginger Spice, has joined the 17-year-old's camp.

Geri said: “I love the X-Factor. Diana Vickers is my favourite.

"She is amazing and has an incredible voice. But I’m not sure what she's been given to sing completely shows off her talents."

Diana’s mum Ann Vickers, who lives in Accrington with her daughter, said she was over the moon with Geri’s backing.

She said: “It’s very brave of her to come out and name a favourite as none of the other guest judges have.

"I think it’s fantastic and can only be positive for Diana.”

WHERE IS GERI'S FAVOURITE PLACE?

HER bandmates Mel B and Victoria Beckham may love the Los Angeles lifestyle and designer Rodeo Drive boutiques, but Spice Girl Geri Halliwell has ruled out moving back there, saying she’s happier trawling British car boot sales.

Geri, 36, mother of two-year-old Bluebell, lives in leafy Highgate, north London, and says she would hate to move across the pond for fear of landing her daughter with an American accent.

“I want my daughter to have an English accent because it’s really elegant – also my friends and family are nearby,” explains the pocket-sized pop star turned children’s author, who says one of her favourite pastimes is scouring junk sales for bargains.

“I was ill this week and my mum could come down on the train and look after Bluebell,” she adds.

“This is really important to me as a single parent. I have got some friends in Los Angeles but they are more dependable here.”

Now where did that Union flag dress go…

Girl Power-walk: Geri Halliwell spices up her day with an early-morning sweat in California

Former spice girl Geri Halliwell showed just how she keeps her bikini body in shape when she stepped out for a gruelling power walk before breakfast.

The woman formerly known as Ginger Spice certainly put a little 'girl power' into her walk in California.

Sporting a 'just got out of bed' hairstyle, the mother-of-one worked up a sweat by pounding the tarmac before taking a call on her mobile phone.

She then returned to her hotel to have breakfast on the patio with a mystery man.

Halliwell, who in the past has struggled with an eating disorder and fluctuating weight, recently posed for her first bikini photo shoot in seven years.

Despite looking toned and healthy, Halliwell confessed she still felt self-conscious about her body.

The 36-year-old recently told Hello magazine: 'People think I'm really confident but I do get really self-conscious like many women about stripping off in public. I haven't been willingly photographed in a bikini for seven years - and I don't think I'll do it again.'
Geri gave birth to her two-year-old daughter Bluebell Madonna in 2006.

more pictures available on the link in the headline of this post

Geri Halliwell's surgery blast

Geri Halliwell says people who have plastic surgery "all look the same".

The former Spice Girls star - who boasts her impressive figure is entirely natural - thinks women who are surgically enhanced, including her Spice Girls bandmate Victoria Beckham who has had a boob job, look "weird".

She said: "I would never say never to having plastic surgery but at the moment, I don't like the idea of it. I've seen a lot of people who have had a lot of surgery and they look weird. They all look the same, as if they have morphed into one.

"I haven't even had Botox. I don't want to feel the pressure, to maintain a smooth line-free face and perfect breasts."

However, Geri admits she might resort to going under the knife in the future.

She added to Britain's Hello! magazine: "There are days when I look at myself and think, 'You should have that done', but I am trying to resist it. There's something inside me that recoils from it, that says, 'You are 35 and you're not going to be in this industry all the time. You need to work on the inside so that shines through first.' "

SPICE GIRLS - HALLIWELL: 'I WILL NEVER MARRY'

SPICE GIRLS star GERI HALLIWELL is convinced she will never settle down with a man - because she has lost her faith in marriage.
The singer - who is currently single - has endured a string of failed romances, most recently with backing dancer Ivan 'Flipz' Velez and screenwriter Sacha Gervasi, the father of her two-year-old daughter Bluebell.
And now Halliwell insists that she may never marry - because she can't deal with any more doomed relationships.
She tells British magazine Hello, "I've lost my faith in marriage. Most of my generation, their parents are divorced, as are mine and I see so many people break up.
"As for my idealisation of what a relationship should look like, that has vanished. I don't see many couples or marriages I can use as a compass point. Not many people stick it out any more. I have learnt to cope by myself."
But the star admits that even without a longterm partner, she would like a brother or sister for Bluebell.

She adds, "I guess I have become a little cynical but I would like more children."

Happy Birthday Geri

Geri is 36 today have a great birthday Geri!

Geri Halliwell: I'm an anxious, worrying control freak

Ex-Spice Girl hates the fact she has to stay in control

Tuesday, 5 August 2008

Geri Halliwell admits that she needs to chill out and stop fixating on work.

'I wish I could slow down a bit, trust more, love more,' she confides.

Ginger, 36, deplores her tendency to obsess and wishes she could enjoy herself without fretting. In her twenties, she just couldn't relax.

'I was so hard and uptight. If only I wasn't an anxious, worrying control freak.'

The singer, mum to Bluebell Madonna, 2, was touring with the Spice Girls until February but also managed to publish her first children’s book, Ugenia Lavender.

Caring for her daughter and also always having several projects on the go means she's often reduced to tears by exhaustion.

'I get overwhelmed and tired,' she tells The Guardian Weekend.

'Boredom, poverty and dark clouds depress me. I wish I was a psychic mind reader who could travel in time. I'd tell my young self, "Let go and live, Geri."'

Geri Halliwell wants to write scripts now

London, Aug 2 (IANS) Former Spice Girls singer Geri Halliwell says she would love to write a movie script. The 35-year-old has already written a children’s book about the character Ugenia Lavender.

“I’m going to write a script next. I do have an idea - I’m always getting these mad ideas,” Halliwell was quoted as saying by thesun.co.uk.

Results of Poll - Did the Spice Girls deserve the Best Band Award at The Glamour Awards?

89% of Readers of my blog said that the Spice Girls did deserve the Best Band Award, whereas, 11% of Readers said that the Spice Girls didn't deserve the award.

Comments to the usual address, spicegirlsforever@live.co.uk

Various Pictures From Spice Girls Reunion Tour - London and Manchester Dates - Courtesy of Lauren

10 Years since Viva Forever

On this day, in 1998, Viva Forever, the final Spice Girls song (with Geri), was released. 20th July 1998. 'Never Give Up On The Good Times' was rumoured to be the B-Side, but as Geri had left the group, they had no time to re-record her vocals and produce a video for the song.

POSH: SPICE GIRLS LOOKED LIKE DRAG QUEENS

VICTORIA Beckham says she cringes when she looks back at the outfits the Spice Girls used to wear.The former Spice added that the girls, Geri in particular, looked like a group of drag queens.While looking at a picture of the group at the 1997 MTV Video Music Awards, she told Allure: "Good God. This is the worst we ever looked. We looked like five men dressed as women.""Can you imagine getting any more make-up on your face? "Look at Geri - what does she look like? We all joke about this now, actually. You know, fashion changes."The style icon added: "Rather than ever looking back at my clothes and cringing, I look back at the make-up and cringe. "It looks like someone beat me up and pushed me onto the stage. None of the clothes were really that fabulous in the Spice Girls, you know."

Geri Halliwell Gets Ultimatum From Boyfriend

Geri Halliwell's boyfriend has asked her to move to Los Angeles or risk losing him.
Geri, 35, doesn't want her romance with dancer, Ivan 'Flipz' Velez, to end and is considering making the US her permanent home.
A source close to the couple said: "Ivan has given her an ultimatum. He really likes Geri and the time they share together, but wants to be with her more. He's asked her to move out to Los Angeles to be with him. He said it's either that or they call it a day."

Geri previously rented a house in California in 2005, but returned to the UK after a year and settled in London.
She has since given birth to daughter, Bluebell, two, who she wants to educate in the UK.
A friend told Britain's Closer magazine: "Geri was shocked at first. But she really likes Ivan, and if it means she needs to spend more time out there, then she'll go. But she wants Bluebell to go to a top British School"

"If she did move to the states, she'd only go until Bluebell was old enough to go to school in the UK."

Spice up your ... wardrobe

It looks like former Posh Spice, Victoria Beckham, has finally woken up and realised what the rest of us have been thinking all along - the Spice Girls looked like drag queens!

In a recent interview she was shown a photo of the fab five all frocked out back in their hey-day.

Apparently the old pic was extremely cringe-worthy to Vic, the now-fashionista.

"Good God! This is the worst we ever looked. We looked like five men dressed as women!"

Apparently it wasn't just their choice of wardrobe that copped it from Vic either.

"Can you imagine getting any more make-up on your face? ... It looks like someone beat me up and pushed me onto the stage."

A Spice Girls Musical??

Just bought New! Magazine and found an article relating to a possibly Spice Girls Musical, something Geri Halliwell is interested in, being in the pipeline! Scanned pic below: