Geri Halliwell has reportedly been left heartbroken after losing out on her dream home from the BBC adaptation of Pride and Prejudice.
The former Spice Girl, 54, and her husband Christian Horner had hoped to buy the £45million Edgcote Estate in Northamptonshire.
The singer is a known Jane Austen fan and the property doubled as Netherfield, the home of Mr Bingley, in the BBC‘s iconic 1995 television adaptation of the classic novel.
Meanwhile Christian was said to be even keener on acquiring the estate, which would be an upgrade on Glebe House, the already-vast £9million Oxfordshire pile they own just a few miles down the road.
However now it has been reported that the couple’s offer has been trumped by a £52million bid from one of Britain’s most successful businesswomen.
A source revealed: ‘Geri and Christian had their hearts set on Edgcote. Geri rode her horses on the gallops at the vast estate, which has its own racecourse.’
Geri Halliwell has reportedly been left ‘heartbroken’ as she ‘misses out on dream £45m Jane Austen mansion after being outbid by £52million offer from huge British businesswomsn
They told The Sun: ‘Christian even flew over the property in a helicopter, and the couple visited the tenant houses across the estate as they made their plans.
‘But their dream move is over. They’re heartbroken. Their celeb rival “came from nowhere,” and her mega-offer blew them out of the water.’
The Daily Mail has contacted Geri’s representatives for comment.
The couple have had a turbulent few years after the former Red Bull Formula One team boss was axed from his role last July following allegations of ‘inappropriate behaviour’ by a female colleague in 2024.
Christian vehemently denied the accusations and was cleared of any wrongdoing by his former team’s parent company Red Bull GmbH but was relieved of his duties last year.
Insiders told The Mail it has left the couple on a ‘sticky wicket’, with some wondering whether the decision to relocate is a ‘make or break’ move. READ MORE HERE.
Meanwhile earlier this year Geri and Christian won a planning battle with her neighbours after being given the green light to keep her ‘illegal’ pergola at her £9.2million mansion.
The couple sparked local fury by building an oak-framed pergola and gazebo in the garden without submitting planning applications.
Despite previously being denied retrospective planning permission, a fresh application for the pergola has been approved today on the grounds of the Grade II listed home – while the future of the gazebo remains unclear.
Neighbours claimed the famous couple were ruining the ‘tranquility’ of their local village in Oxfordshire, and interrupting an unspoilt view of an adjacent church.
It has been reported that the couple’s offer for Edgcote House (pictured) has been trumped by a £52million bid from one of Britain’s most successful businesswomen
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They said they were being ‘trolled’ after Geri and Christian wrapped fairy lights around the pergola, and felt the famous couple were being treated differently by the council due to their status.
Planners at the local council said today they would be ‘sympathetic’ to the star’s wishes due to the pergola’s ‘siting, scale and design’ – adding it is ‘compatible with the appearance, character, layout, scale and design of existing dwellings in the area’.
The planning official added the proposal ‘would provide adequate standards of amenity and privacy’ for neighbours.
They continued: ‘The council heritage response confirms that the oak-framed pergola, when covered with planting such as wisteria, represents a traditional garden feature that can be sympathetic to the character of the site.’
Despite metal ‘historically being more typical’ for a pergola, the wooden version was ‘considered capable of integrating into the setting without causing harm, provided it remains appropriately screened’.
The pergola is visible to passers-by over a towering garden wall that circles the house, which the council ruled ‘would not impact key views nor alter the established relationship between the listed building and the church’.
It concluded: ‘As the pergola would not be visible above the garden wall and does not introduce visually prominent or incongruous elements, the proposal is considered to preserve the character and appearance of the Conservation Area.’
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