Spice Girl Geri Halliwell is relaunching her solo career in dedication to George Michael

Geri Horner has paid an emotional tribute to her late friend George Michael.

The Spice Girls star had been a close friend of the legendary Wham! singer, and has now dedicated her solo comeback to him.

Speaking to ITV’s Lorraine, Horner, formerly Geri Halliwell, said she had been left completely shocked by the death.

The death came just weeks before she gave birth to her first son, who she named Monty George in honour of her friend.

Now she says the “circle of life” has helped her come to terms with his sudden death.

She explained: “When I demoed the record, I had the baby four days later.

“When I wrote it, I was in so much pain and vulnerable didn’t know how to deal.

“And then I had a baby boy – circle of life. Monty is named after George and it was my mother’s idea.

“George was was close to my mum. He was adorable in that way.”

Horner is now set to release her new single, Angels in Chains, two days before what would have been Michael’s 54th birthday.

The Raining Men singer admits she’s nervous about the public reaction to the musical tribute.

She continued: “I didn’t know what to do because George wasn’t my immediate family.

“I was a friend a fan – didn’t know what to do with all my feelings.

“So just wrote a song and submitted to record company. They wanted to release it.

“It made me scared because I was vulnerable. What would people think?”

The singer previously wept as she described her “love” for the singer in the wake of his death.

Horner opened up about her close friendship with the star, saying that he was there for her when she left the Spice Girls.

She told This Morning presenters Holly Willoughby and Phillip Schofield: “I absolutely loved him.

“When I left the Spice Girls, he took me under his wing.

“He was such a lovely person, and suddenly I had a baby. It’s the circle of life, you just don’t expect it.”

She continued: “He was such a good man. When you know a human being, they tell you how it is, they keep your feet on the ground.

“He told me if my music was rubbish, he loved this programme. He was just such a normal guy. He helped me with my daughter.

“I was gutted.

“It’s not until someone goes.. It’s really sad. It’s very sad when someone we all know dies.”

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