Geri Horner, née Halliwell, was warned she’d be shot on stage at the BRIT Awards due to her friendship with the late George Michael and her love of ‘camping it up’.
The star, 48, was advised by police to pull out of her first solo performance at the 2000 ceremony after they intercepted plans by David Copeland to assassinate her, but she refused to give in to the threat.
Copeland, a paranoid schizophrenic, was jailed for life later that year after setting off a series of explosive devices across London.
Recalling the time, Geri said: ‘It was before my first ever performance as a solo artist that he issued me with a death threat. He threatened to shoot me, and hated the fact I hung out with the gays, and was friends with George Michael.’
Heartbreaking: Geri Horner, née Halliwell, was warned she’d be shot on stage at the BRIT Awards due to her friendship with the late George Michael and her love of ‘camping it up’ (the pals, pictured in 2000)
Geri, who was close friends with George up until his heartbreaking death from dilated cardiomyopathy in 2016, went on: ‘He hated me for camping it up, for loving the gays and for being friends with George. I told him to do one.
‘Scotland Yard were involved, and the police had to come round to my house, to warn me officially. They said they had to give me the freedom to choose whether I performed or not, but that they advised me to pull out of the ceremony.’
The Spice Girls star defied the advice to perform at the ceremony because she felt it was important to ‘stand with’ her friends, no matter what.
She added in an interview with The Sun newspaper: ‘But I said ‘I’m sorry, I’m not going to be bullied by this’. We are judged by what we do, not what we say – and I will always stand with my friends.
Shocking: The star, 48, was advised by police to pull out of her first solo performance at the 2000 ceremony after they intercepted plans by David Copeland (pictured) to assassinate her, but she refused to give in to the threat
Look at me! Geri pictured during her first solo performance since leaving the Spice Girls at the BRITs, where Copeland was said to be planning his attack
‘It’s about spirit, not sexuality – I feel so protective of any person who has had prejudice against them.’
Copeland was given six life sentences in June 2000 for three charges of murder and three counts of causing explosions in order to endanger life over a two-week spree in April 1999.
His final act of terrorism was to let off a bomb containing 1,500 nails at gay pub the Admiral Duncan, which killed Andrea Dykes, who was pregnant, John Light, and Nik Moore.
He was trialled for murder after his plea of guilty to manslaughter on the grounds of suffering paranoid schizophrenia was rejected.
‘I changed so my daughter wouldn’t be like I was’: Earlier in the week, Geri was getting candid one more as she revealed motherhood helped her heal her relationship with food following her bulimia battle
In 2011, he lost an appeal to reduce his minimum jail term of 50 years.
Earlier in the week, Geri was getting candid one more as she revealed motherhood helped her heal her relationship with food following her bulimia battle.
In a new episode from her YouTube series Roll With It, Ginger Spice, baked Swiss rolls with her daughter Bluebell, 14, as she discussed developing a healthy connection with meals for the sake of her children.
The musician said: ‘Food for me has been such an interesting subject so to find a healthy relationship has taken time…
Her happy place: In a new episode from her YouTube series Roll With It , Ginger Spice baked Swiss rolls with her daughter Bluebell, 14
‘I only did Bake Off because my daughter loves that show and when I did, I re-embarked on this whole journey of me re-establishing my relationship with food.’