Geri Horner found out George Michael had died from Twitter.
The ‘Angels in Chains’ singer was distraught when the news broke her close friend had passed away last Christmas Day (25.12.16) as it was the last thing she expected to see when she checked her social media pages.
Asked how she found out the tragic news, she said: "I found out on twitter which was upsetting. I’d just opened some presents."
The 44-year-old singer didn’t see her pal very often but could always rely on him for some "fatherly" advice.
She said: "He was one of those friends I didn’t see all the time but when I did it was straight honesty, he was always there for me.
"He was very fatherly, a good friend to me."
And Geri revealed the pair initially connected over their shared devastation at losing one of their beloved parents.
Speaking on UK TV show ‘Loose Women’, she said: "The funny thing is, I lost my father when I was very young.
" George was very honest about losing his mother and I couldn’t talk to anyone about my dad so when he did that, I felt, ‘Oh you feel the same as me’, and that’s how we connected.
Meanwhile, the former Spice Girls singer – who has daughter Bluebell, 11, from a past relationship and son Monty, five months, with husband Christian Horner – revealed she will always be grateful to former lover Robbie Williams for urging her to seek help when she was gripped by eating disorder bulimia.
She said: "Robbie definitely pointed me in the right direction of where to go and get help because he spotted I was very bulimic.
"It’s one of those things with a problem, it’s quite touchy when someone points it out but he gave me a solution about six months before I did anything about it. I’m sure I would have done something eventually."
Geri Horner learned George Michael had died on Twitter
