Geri Halliwell - Geri Halliwell: just for the record

Contents

About the Author

Geri Halliwell shot to fame as a member of the Spice Girls. Leaving the band in 1998 she pursued a solo career and enjoyed top-ten success with her first solo album going double platinum, and her first single from that album reaching number two in the charts followed by four consecutive number one singles. In April 2001 Geri re-entered the UK charts with Its Raining Men. As her eleventh number one, Geri held the record for the most number ones by a female artist in the UK.

She released two bestselling health and fitness videos in 2001 and 2002, and has tried her hand at tv presenting and acting. Geri is also heavily committed to charity work. In 1998, she was made a UN Goodwill Ambassador. Geri works tirelessly for Breast Cancer Care, who made her a Patron in 2000, along with Cherie Blair. Geri is also an ambassador for The Princes Trust, and regularly attends events in this capacity.

In 2006, Geri became a mum to a daughter, Bluebell Madonna.

About the Book

This book is about what its like to strike out on your own. Some days you feel you can live forever, on others you can be your own worst enemy. This is my story of what happened next.

In 1998 Geri Halliwell walked out of the biggest pop group on the planet and embarked on a journey into the unknown. Everyone except her, it seemed, had an opinion on what Ginger Spice should do next. She didnt know if she would make it on her own or fall flat on her face. All she did know was that it would be Geri, not Ginger, who this time would be leading the way.

Just for the Record is an incredible and intimate portrait of a young woman at the crossroads of her life, dealing with fame, fortune, and the constrant struggle to be true to herself.

This ebook is copyright material and must not be copied, reproduced, transferred, distributed, leased, licensed or publicly performed or used in any way except as specifically permitted in writing by the publishers, as allowed under the terms and conditions under which it was purchased or as strictly permitted by applicable copyright law. Any unauthorised distribution or use of this text may be a direct infringement of the authors and publishers rights and those responsible may be liable in law accordingly.

Version 1.0

Epub ISBN 9781448147847

www.randomhouse.co.uk

Published by Ebury Press 2003

10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

Copyright Geri Halliwell 2003
Geri Halliwell has asserted her right to be identified as the author of this work

Photographs copyright Geri Productions Limited; Dean Freeman; EMI
All photographs by Dean Freeman, except grid image in picture section, row 2, images 2 and 3, by Andy Earle and Trudy Bellinger respectively

Art direction of photography by Dean Freeman and Grace Edited and designed by Grace

This book is sold subject to the condition that it shall not, by way of trade or otherwise, be lent, resold, hired out, or otherwise circulated without the publishers prior consent in any form of binding or cover other than that in which it is published and without a similar condition including this condition being imposed on the subsequent purchaser

First published in Great Britain in 2003 by Ebury Press
Random House, 20 Vauxhall Bridge Road, London SW1V 2SA

Random House Australia (Pty) Limited, 20 Alfred Street,
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Random House New Zealand Limited, 18 Poland Road,
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Random House (Pty) Limited, Endulini, 5A Jubilee Road,
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The Random House Group Limited Reg. No. 954009 www.randomhouse.co.uk

A CIP catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library

ISBN 0 091 88804 2

Goodbye

LYING HERE IN the warm sun its easy to drift off. Staring up at a cloudless blue sky and surrounded by palm trees that shelter the sun-deck from prying eyes, I can imagine just for a moment that Im on a secret fantasy desert island, miles from anywhere. Only the muffled noise of the traffic from Sunset Boulevard reminds me that I am here in my favourite hotel in Los Angeles, an oasis of calm in the heart of the city. Ive been here before but this time it feels different. Its the perfect place to reflect on the journey that has brought me here and choose the path to follow next.

Ronnie has just brought me my lunch by the pool. When I moved into my villa just set back from the main hotel in the manicured grounds Ronnie came with the package. His job is to look after me and make me feel at home, so I suppose you could say hes done a pretty good job. Hes very funny, very camp and loves to chat. Todays lunch is steamed fish, mustard mash and broccoli with some herbal tea to wash it down. Sometimes you just have to be grateful for the trappings of fame and, when it comes to Ronnie and a delicious meal by the pool, I can honestly say that I am.

I cant say that I came here intending to reflect on my life or even to stay very long. I was drawn to LA by other attractions. The first was the sunshine. I come alive in the springtime so, tired of waiting for the end of the English winter, I wanted to be somewhere warmer. I had professional reasons to be here too. Id finished promoting my second album Scream If You Wanna Go Faster and I wanted to be where the action is. I had record producers to meet in LA and even some contacts to see in Hollywood.

When I got here I remembered that there was something else that attracted me to the city. Celebrities are ten a penny. Turn the corner and you bump into Christopher Walken making his way down the street with his shopping, go into a bar for a drink and theres Minnie Driver chatting to friends over lunch. Nobody points and nobody stares in fact, in LA nobody cares and thats a relief. Last week, my sister Natalie came over to see me and we went to a theme park a few miles from town. We had a great time riding on the roller coaster and playing games on the stalls and we werent disturbed by anyone. I cant see that happening at Alton Towers. I felt so happy. I felt free.

I got a call the other day from my manager, Andy. When are you coming back? he asked. Its been a while now.

Oh, I said. Im not sure. I like it here. I think I want to stay a while longer.

I could hear him sighing down the phone. OK, he said, but Geri?

Yes, Andy?

Just make sure you dont get lost in La-La Land.

I could see what he was worried about: here I was in Los Angeles miles from home and from the real world of Geri Halliwell Pop Star. Theres not much chance of stumbling across a copy of the Sun or the Mirror here or finding myself reading a magazine article with the headline IS GERI TOO SKINNY? I dont have to worry about walking down the street or going to the movies or popping to the shops. Here, I no longer have to deal with my fame. Maybe Andy was worried I was being swept up by the glitz and the glamour of the Hollywood social scene but that wasnt it at all. If I was getting lost it was in the opportunity to feel like a normal person again, to step back from the madness and reassess my life. Do I really want to work on that new record yet? Are movies the right way to go? I like it in La-La Land.

Its never as easy as that, though, is it? Something always comes along to bring you back down to earth and my something came along a little while ago as I was relaxing by the pool:

Everyone finds it embarrassing bumping into their ex but only the famous have the moment captured on film, sold to the press and discussed in the gossip columns. When Andy called to tell me that my meeting with Chris Evans and his new wife was all over the newspapers I was very shocked. Somehow somebody had managed to creep into the hotel and get the picture. It was terrible to realise that I wasnt even safe here but it also reminded me that in England its like that every day of the week.