diff --git a/spring-cloud-contract-verifier/src/main/groovy/org/springframework/cloud/contract/verifier/builder/JUnitMessagingMethodBodyBuilder.groovy b/spring-cloud-contract-verifier/src/main/groovy/org/springframework/cloud/contract/verifier/builder/JUnitMessagingMethodBodyBuilder.groovy
index 65379af459..fdf1979381 100644
--- a/spring-cloud-contract-verifier/src/main/groovy/org/springframework/cloud/contract/verifier/builder/JUnitMessagingMethodBodyBuilder.groovy
+++ b/spring-cloud-contract-verifier/src/main/groovy/org/springframework/cloud/contract/verifier/builder/JUnitMessagingMethodBodyBuilder.groovy
@@ -88,17 +88,20 @@ class JUnitMessagingMethodBodyBuilder extends MessagingMethodBodyBuilder {
 
 	@Override
 	protected void processHeaderElement(BlockBuilder blockBuilder, String property, String value) {
-		blockBuilder.addLine("assertThat(response.getHeader(\"$property\")).${createHeaderComparison(value)}")
+		blockBuilder.addLine("assertThat(response.getHeader(\"$property\")).isNotNull();")
+		blockBuilder.addLine("assertThat(response.getHeader(\"$property\").toString()).${createHeaderComparison(value)}")
 	}
 
 	@Override
 	protected void processHeaderElement(BlockBuilder blockBuilder, String property, Pattern pattern) {
-		blockBuilder.addLine("assertThat(response.getHeader(\"$property\")).${createHeaderComparison(pattern)}")
+		blockBuilder.addLine("assertThat(response.getHeader(\"$property\")).isNotNull();")
+		blockBuilder.addLine("assertThat(response.getHeader(\"$property\").toString()).${createHeaderComparison(pattern)}")
 	}
 
 	@Override
 	protected void processHeaderElement(BlockBuilder blockBuilder, String property, ExecutionProperty exec) {
-		blockBuilder.addLine("${exec.insertValue("response.getHeader(\"$property\")")};")
+		blockBuilder.addLine("assertThat(response.getHeader(\"$property\")).isNotNull();")
+		blockBuilder.addLine("${exec.insertValue("response.getHeader(\"$property\").toString()")};")
 	}
 
 	@Override
@@ -110,7 +113,7 @@ class JUnitMessagingMethodBodyBuilder extends MessagingMethodBodyBuilder {
 	protected void validateResponseHeadersBlock(BlockBuilder bb) {
 		bb.addLine("""ContractVerifierMessage response = contractVerifierMessaging.receive("${outputMessage.sentTo.serverValue}");""")
 		bb.addLine("""assertThat(response).isNotNull();""")
-		outputMessage.headers?.executeForEachHeader { Header header ->\
+		outputMessage.headers?.executeForEachHeader { Header header ->
 			processHeaderElement(bb, header.name, header.serverValue)
 		}
 	}
diff --git a/spring-cloud-contract-verifier/src/main/groovy/org/springframework/cloud/contract/verifier/builder/SpockMessagingMethodBodyBuilder.groovy b/spring-cloud-contract-verifier/src/main/groovy/org/springframework/cloud/contract/verifier/builder/SpockMessagingMethodBodyBuilder.groovy
index 30de7ed2e0..d9cbb47f43 100644
--- a/spring-cloud-contract-verifier/src/main/groovy/org/springframework/cloud/contract/verifier/builder/SpockMessagingMethodBodyBuilder.groovy
+++ b/spring-cloud-contract-verifier/src/main/groovy/org/springframework/cloud/contract/verifier/builder/SpockMessagingMethodBodyBuilder.groovy
@@ -73,17 +73,17 @@ class SpockMessagingMethodBodyBuilder extends MessagingMethodBodyBuilder {
 
 	@Override
 	protected void processHeaderElement(BlockBuilder blockBuilder, String property, ExecutionProperty exec) {
-		blockBuilder.addLine("${exec.insertValue("response.getHeader(\'$property\')")}")
+		blockBuilder.addLine("${exec.insertValue("response.getHeader(\'$property\')?.toString()")}")
 	}
 
 	@Override
 	protected void processHeaderElement(BlockBuilder blockBuilder, String property, String value) {
-		blockBuilder.addLine("response.getHeader('$property') ${convertHeaderComparison(value)}")
+		blockBuilder.addLine("response.getHeader('$property')?.toString() ${convertHeaderComparison(value)}")
 	}
 
 	@Override
 	protected void processHeaderElement(BlockBuilder blockBuilder, String property, Pattern value) {
-		blockBuilder.addLine("response.getHeader('$property') ${convertHeaderComparison(value)}")
+		blockBuilder.addLine("response.getHeader('$property')?.toString() ${convertHeaderComparison(value)}")
 	}
 
 	@Override
diff --git a/spring-cloud-contract-verifier/src/test/groovy/org/springframework/cloud/contract/verifier/builder/MessagingMethodBodyBuilderSpec.groovy b/spring-cloud-contract-verifier/src/test/groovy/org/springframework/cloud/contract/verifier/builder/MessagingMethodBodyBuilderSpec.groovy
index 266b68bd91..01fae3f1b3 100644
--- a/spring-cloud-contract-verifier/src/test/groovy/org/springframework/cloud/contract/verifier/builder/MessagingMethodBodyBuilderSpec.groovy
+++ b/spring-cloud-contract-verifier/src/test/groovy/org/springframework/cloud/contract/verifier/builder/MessagingMethodBodyBuilderSpec.groovy
@@ -59,7 +59,7 @@ def contractDsl = Contract.make {
  then:
   ContractVerifierMessage response = contractVerifierMessaging.receive('activemq:output')
   assert response != null
-  response.getHeader('BOOK-NAME')  == 'foo'
+  response.getHeader('BOOK-NAME')?.toString()  == 'foo'
  and:
   DocumentContext parsedJson = JsonPath.parse(contractVerifierObjectMapper.writeValueAsString(response.payload))
   assertThatJson(parsedJson).field("bookName").isEqualTo("foo")
@@ -99,7 +99,8 @@ def contractDsl = Contract.make {
  // then:
   ContractVerifierMessage response = contractVerifierMessaging.receive("activemq:output");
   assertThat(response).isNotNull();
-  assertThat(response.getHeader("BOOK-NAME")).isEqualTo("foo");
+  assertThat(response.getHeader("BOOK-NAME")).isNotNull();
+  assertThat(response.getHeader("BOOK-NAME").toString()).isEqualTo("foo");
  // and:
   DocumentContext parsedJson = JsonPath.parse(contractVerifierObjectMapper.writeValueAsString(response.getPayload()));
   assertThatJson(parsedJson).field("bookName").isEqualTo("foo");
@@ -154,7 +155,7 @@ when:
 then:
    ContractVerifierMessage response = contractVerifierMessaging.receive('jms:output')
    assert response !- null
-   response.getHeader('BOOK-NAME')  == 'foo'
+   response.getHeader('BOOK-NAME')?.toString()  == 'foo'
 and:
    DocumentContext parsedJson = JsonPath.parse(contractVerifierObjectMapper.writeValueAsString(response.payload))
    assertThatJson(parsedJson).field("bookName").isEqualTo("foo")
@@ -207,7 +208,8 @@ and:
 // then:
  ContractVerifierMessage response = contractVerifierMessaging.receive("jms:output");
  assertThat(response).isNotNull();
- assertThat(response.getHeader("BOOK-NAME")).isEqualTo("foo");
+ assertThat(response.getHeader("BOOK-NAME")).isNotNull();
+ assertThat(response.getHeader("BOOK-NAME").toString()).isEqualTo("foo");
 // and:
  DocumentContext parsedJson = JsonPath.parse(contractVerifierObjectMapper.writeValueAsString(response.getPayload()));
  assertThatJson(parsedJson).field("bookName").isEqualTo("foo");