Christian Horner’s shocking dismissal from Red Bull Racing came with a heartbreaking twist—just ten days earlier, his first wife Beverley Allen tragically passed away after a lengthy battle with eye cancer.
Beverley, 58, shared a 14-year relationship with the former F1 boss and was the mother of his teenage daughter. She died at her Grade II listed home in the Cotswolds, where she had lived quietly with their daughter and two dogs. Despite their separation in 2014—when Christian left her just six months after their daughter’s birth to be with Spice Girl Geri Halliwell—the two had maintained a cordial relationship in recent years.
“She really didn’t have it easy,” a friend of Beverley’s said. “We are all devastated. Life had been cruel to her.”
Another friend added, “Beverley was loved by everyone who knew her. It’s just heartbreaking.”
Christian and Beverley’s split had caused a rift with his parents, who refused to attend his 2015 wedding to Geri and continued to support Beverley and their granddaughter. Still, neighbours noted that Horner had been visiting Beverley frequently in recent months, doing what he could to support her during her illness.
The tragedy unfolded just before Horner’s sacking from Red Bull amid a long-running internal controversy. Though cleared by an independent inquiry, allegations of inappropriate behaviour had cast a long shadow.
A source close to the family said: “Christian will be very upset indeed by Beverley’s passing – he’s lost an old friend, and his daughter has lost her mother.”
Beverley had two sons from a previous relationship, whom Christian helped raise during their time together. Her Instagram, once filled with joyful images of her and daughter Olivia, had gone silent since 2018.
“She was a wonderful woman,” a neighbour reflected. “We’re heartbroken. The house is now empty, and it feels like a piece of the community is gone.”
