Geri Halliwell and Christian Horner were pictured holding hands as they arrived together in Bahrain for the Grand Prix, just hours after she was said to have been left “distraught and humiliated” over her husband’s leaked messages to a woman he worked with.

The allegedly ­inappropriate messages and photos were sent to 149 individuals working in the sport, including FIA president Mohammed Ben Sulayem, and the media.

Despite the scandal, the Spice Girl jetted over to the Bahrain International Circuit from the couple’s home in the UK, and has now been spotted alongside the F1 Red Bull boss, 50, for the first time since the news broke.

The pair were seen smiling as they walked on the grid hand-in-hand, with Geri looking chic in a sleeveless white dress, while Christian wore his Red Bull uniform.

They were later photographed sharing an intimate conversation ahead of the race.

Geri, 51, and Christian’s united front comes after a source claimed the singer-turned-author has been locked in “crisis talks” with her team over how the furore could impact her and her reputation.

A source told The Mirror: “Geri has been locked in crisis talks with her team this week about how to manage all of this.

“Christian had played down the whole affair to her, but she can’t bear the fact it is now all out in the open. She feels like a fool. It has really taken its toll on her and she told pals this week she would not be in Bahrain.

“She was adamant she wouldn’t be there, she would not pretend like ­everything was OK. But Christian’s mum has been leaning on her heavily to stand by his side, and publicly back him, and her pleas seem to have worked. Her own team had been urging her to keep her distance and seek advice.

“They are worried about the impact on both her personally and her brand and want her to pause and consider her next move carefully. She feels ­incredibly torn between the two camps. It’s a horrific situation for her to be in, and it is growing worse by the minute.”

Reports in Bahrain claimed Horner was due to meet the FIA president yesterday about the leaked messages, which surfaced just 24 hours after he was cleared by an internal inquiry over claims he had displayed ­“coercive ­behaviour” towards a female colleague.

It has been reported that Red Bull were looking at the images contained in the leak. They came from an email address using a Google Drive link of WhatsApp messages and photos, sent at 6.14pm Bahrain time on Thursday. They were private messages appearing to be from Horner and a female member of staff.

Horner, who has denied all ­allegations against him, had previously shared his relief at being cleared by the internal inquiry.

He said: “I respected the ­integrity of the independent ­investigation and fully cooperated with it every step of the way.” Horner also reiterated his denials after the messages were leaked.

The Red Bull boss said last night: “I am not going to comment on anonymous speculation from unknown sources.”

Express.co.uk has contacted representatives for Geri for comment.