Squeezing into their infamous purple wedding outfits 25 years after tying the knot in an Irish castle in 1999, David and Victoria Beckham seemed to be having a ball as they celebrated their anniversary.
“Yep, still got it!” they wrote in a joint post on Instagram. “Can’t believe it’s been 25 years and they still fit!”
But behind the smiles and silly faces as they posed on thrones for social media, the past few weeks have been a tense time for the celebrity supercouple, who have amassed a whopping $900 million fortune.
Last month, former BBC journalist Tom Bower released his book The House Of Beckham: Money, Sex And Power. The book painted an unflattering portrait of a marriage that is nothing more than a “distant business relationship” and uncovered further details about the soccer star’s notorious 2003 affair with former PA Rebecca Loos.
“The claims are absolutely devastating,” a source close to the couple revealed. “It’s true they did almost split… It’s hard when people remind them of some of the worst times in their lives.”
And now a close friend of the pair has shed even more light on David and Victoria’s marriage. They’re sharing details of their history that you won’t have seen in their blockbuster Netflix documentary Beckham, where they were remembered as “the new Charles and Diana” when they first got together in the ’90s.
“Those first few years were weird because if one was popular, the other was hated,” their pal recalls, speaking exclusively to Woman’s Day. “His teammates thought she was a curse in those early days. Especially when his red card got England thrown out of the 1998 World Cup.
“As a Spice Girl, Victoria was way more famous than David then. But by the time he redeemed himself as ‘Goldenballs’ against Argentina three years later, the British public bitterly despised her for her fake boobs and obsessive dieting. That drove an even bigger wedge between her and David.
“Victoria can’t stand pictures of herself back then. She makes jokes of her implants, but she hates how caught up she was in the WAG scene.”
Viewers harshly criticised the Beckham documentary for skimming over David’s alleged infidelities. However, their friend says, “There’s no doubt that almost ended the marriage. You can’t blame them for not wanting to rip those scabs off in their doco. But they should’ve acknowledged the good that came out of that – and it wasn’t all David’s fault.”
Insiders insist there are a lot more interesting rumours not addressed in the documentary, including the fact that David, 49, may not have been the only one with a roving eye. In 2000, there were wild rumours circulating that Victoria, 50, was “getting close” to Dane Bowers while promoting their duet Out Of Your Mind.
“No one denied it, of course, because it was good publicity for the single,” says the friend. “But there was huge chemistry between her and Dane – you can see it when they performed. But by Christmas, she and David announced they had baby number two on the way.”
Victoria tried to reboot her solo career in 2002 by recording a hip-hop album with rapper Damon Dash. He appeared by her side at various London parties for months on end. Posh even recorded a song about being cheated on called Resentment, which Beyoncé would later record for her 2006 album B’Day.
“There were rumours going around about Victoria and Damon for months,” says the pal. “Even Jay-Z was getting interested in her too, so you can imagine David was freaking out. Back then, working with Jay-Z often came with strings attached, but it’s all just rumours. Victoria and Jay-Z didn’t happen – just like her solo career. But it’s hard to blame her for wanting to make David jealous.”
It was their two young sons, Brooklyn and Romeo, who convinced them not to split.
“It would have been so easy to break up. They both felt happiest when they were at home with their boys though, so David worked hard on winning her back,” adds the pal.
“He even signed a new postnuptial agreement to prove he was serious. Victoria needed the reassurance, but they had to also secure their investment. Even back then, they were worth a lot more together than apart.”
In late 2004, the couple sealed the deal with a baby announcement and, in February 2005, Victoria gave birth to Cruz in Madrid.
Their friend explains, “Cruz was a Band-Aid baby. The decision to move to LA two years later was all part of getting away from that scene in Europe, focusing on family and having a fresh start. California was just what they needed.”
Against all odds, the couple managed to build up a family brand after the “miraculous arrival” of their fourth child, Harper Seven, in 2011. A Los Angeles-based insider tells, “We all call Harper a miracle, but not because she was the daughter David and Victoria wanted. It’s because Victoria managed a medical miracle by having a fourth Caesarean.
“Of course, at the time, no one in LA believed it. They assumed she’d used a gestational carrier like so many other Hollywood wives, but nope. Turns out Victoria can sing, dance, design clothes and have a fourth C-section.”
Another source close to the Beckhams adds, “California was good for them. They arrived in a complete state of permanent stress. However, Victoria really learnt how to relax and it made a huge impact on the whole family. She’ll always be a nightmare perfectionist and really hard on herself, but since LA, she’s less intense.”
One of the things the couple won’t miss about LA is having to take sides when their friends got divorced, the source adds.
“They’d spend every New Year’s Eve with Seal, Heidi Klum, the Ramsays and all their kids, before Seal and Heidi’s divorced ruined it. But the worst one was Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes’ split, which happened a year after Harper was born.
“Up until then, Katie was really close to Victoria. They’d been pregnancy buddies and she was so excited that they’d be raising daughters together. Victoria had plans to collaborate with her on a fashion brand. That divorce blindsided more than just Tom.”
The shock 2012 split had a huge impact on their marriage. It’s no coincidence that David would soon announce that it would be his last year at LA Galaxy.
“Victoria and David argued over Tom and Katie’s divorce, and whose side to take,” reveals their pal. “She was devastated to lose Katie as a friend, but David’s always been loyal to Tom. It was the third or fourth divorce among their new LA circle. Rather than let the bad vibes spread to their marriage, they decided it was time to get away from the divorce capital of the world.”
The couple now divide their time between Miami and London, but their number-one focus will always be their kids.
“David’s already turning into a rottweiler now Harper’s starting to show an interest in boys,” adds their friend.
“Having a daughter has given him an even deeper appreciation of his wife. They’ve gone to hell and back with their marriage. While they might not be ready to talk about all their hiccups and horror moments, they have every intention of being around to talk about the next 25 years.”
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