Geri apologises for quitting Spice Girls on 19th anniversary of shock departure

Almost two decades after the shock announcement that broke millions of hearts around the globe, Geri Horner has said sorry for quitting the Spice Girls. The 44-year-old singer, more commonly known by her maiden name Geri Halliwell, marked the 19th anniversary of her departure from the iconic girl group with an apology on Twitter, along with some reassuring words for those of us still struggling to accept the news almost twenty years later. After a fan account marked the anniversary with a video of original news coverage of Geri's departure, complete with shocked testimonies from young fans, the artist formerly known as Ginger Spice tweeted: "I'm sorry about that ...💔, everything works out in the end 🌈 , that's what my mum says! X"

19 years ago today, it was announced that @GeriHalliwell had left the Spice Girls in the middle of their world tour. 💔💔 pic.twitter.com/addNC7r4BE

— 20 Years of Spice (@SpiceGirlsFilm) May 31, 2017

I'm sorry about that ...💔, everything works out in the end 🌈 , that's what my mum says! X https://t.co/uJF2Ou8mOp

— Geri Horner (@GeriHalliwell) May 31, 2017

If that's true Geri, then why does it still hurt so much? It was 31 May 1998, when Horner announced that she had quit the Spice Girls in the middle of a mammoth world tour, leaving remaining members Mel B, Mel C, Emma Bunton and Victoria Beckham to carry on as a foursome. In a statement issued through her solicitor, she said at the time: "Sadly I would like to confirm that I have left the Spice Girls. This is because of differences between us. I'm sure the group will continue to be successful and I wish them all the best."

Related: Geri Horner talks Spice Girls, solo regrets, and her kinship with the gay community

The Spice Girls would go on to release one more album in the form of 2000's Forever before splitting for good later that year. They would later reforming for a reunion tour in 2007 and a show-stopping performance at the London 2012 Olympic closing ceremony. Geri's apology comes a year after the singer first announced plans for a second reunion to mark 20 years since the release of the band's first single, 'Wannabe', alongside Mel B and Emma Bunton. The partial reunion, which was rejected by Victoria Beckham and consequently Mel C, divided fans after the trio began using the moniker 'GEM', and was eventually put on hold indefinitely after Geri fell pregnant with her second child, Hector, who she welcomed in January this year. While the star's apology is certainly welcome, we can personally vouch that time does not in fact heal all wounds. As we all attempt to find some closure in this latest statement, let us cast our minds back to the ill-fated summer of 1998 one last time... More stories: Andy Murray slams tennis legend Margaret Court over anti-gay rant BBC’s Tomasz Schafernaker voted UK’s favourite weatherman: Relive his jaw-dropping Attitude shoot