London — Spice Girl Geri Halliwell announced on social media on Wednesday (Dec 30) that her beloved pet dog Daddy had died.
She shared a gallery of the sweet pup on Instagram with the caption:Â “Goodbye to my special little friend, Daddy the dog. He kept me company when I was lonely. He was my little baby before I had Bluebell. After eighteen years he has gone to doggy heaven. Rest in peace, we love you.”
Fellow celebrities and fans left their condolences in the comment section. Singer Alexandra Burke wrote: “Oh I’m so sorry babe.”
One social media user added: “Oh I’m so sorry. They really are part of the family aren’t they?” Another sweetly said: “I’m so sorry for your loss of your little friend. He had a wonderful life to reach that grand age for a little dog.”
Halliwell is an animal lover. Her two luxury countryside villas are also home to many creatures, from ponies and horses to cats and, of course, her beloved dogs.
She had celebrated Christmas day by sharing a photo of herself cuddled up to one of her beautiful horses, writing: “Cosy this Christmas.”
Halliwell, 48, also posted a photo of her husband Christian Horner, 47, their four-year-old son Monty and her daughter Bluebell, 15, next to their enormous Christmas tree on the big day, writing: “Merry Christmas! Thinking of you. Hope you have a lovely day.”
Monty is seen sitting on Halliwell’s lap. Bluebell is seen looking adoringly at Monty. Horner is leaning on an armchair behind Halliwell. The family were surrounded by a lot of neatly-wrapped gifts.
Halliwell rose to prominence in the 1990s as Ginger Spice, a member of the pop girl group the Spice Girls.
With more than 85 million records sold worldwide, the group became the best-selling female group of all time.
The phrase “girl power”, regularly uttered by all five members, was most closely associated with Geri. Her Union Jack dress from the 1997 Brit Awards also became an enduring symbol of girl power.
In 1998, Halliwell left the Spice Girls to pursue a solo career but later returned to the group when they reunited in 2007. /TISG