The former Red Bull Formula One boss revealed the Spice Girls' popularity helped boost the fortunes of one of his early sponsors.

Mr Horner and Ms Halliwell, who married in 2015, now live on the Oxfordshire border near Banbury.

Speaking to Chris Moyles on Radio X, Mr Horner said he was supported during his racing career by a company which made cream cakes for supermarkets including Asda and Sainsbury's.

The business had licensing agreements to make cakes featuring Dennis the Menace and the Spice Girls.

It initially expected its Dennis the Menace product to perform well and agreed to feature the comic-book character on Mr Horner's racing car.

However, the extraordinary popularity of the Spice Girls cake provided an unexpected boost.

Recalling what he was told by the company, Mr Horner said: “Dennis the Menace is going okay but holy moly the Spice Girls cake has gone ballistic!”

The success helped the bakery continue its sponsorship of Mr Horner years before he and Ms Halliwell met.

Mr Horner said: “So indirectly, Geri, my wife, was financing my career at a pretty early age!”

Mr Horner competed in Formula Renault, British Formula Three and Formula 3000 before retiring from driving and moving into team management.

He became Red Bull Racing's team principal in 2005 and oversaw a trophy-laden period for the Formula One team.

Ms Halliwell rose to international fame as Ginger Spice in the 1990s alongside Victoria Beckham, Mel B, Mel C and Emma Bunton.