Brooklyn Beckham left the showbiz world in shock when he made a dramatic statement about his feud with parents David and Victoria Beckham.
Amid a year-long fall-out, the eldest of their kids, 26, made bold claims about how the duo ‘control the narrative of the press’ with ‘performative and inauthentic’ depictions of family life – as he vowed to never reconcile with his clan.
And while the Brooklyn fall-out is indeed explosive, the couple of 29 years have weathered many scandals throughout their romance – including an alleged affair, explosive emails, crippling financial woes and on-pitch rages.
Media scrutiny over the duo, who began dating in 1997 and married in 1999, has been long-standing thanks to their love of the spotlight.
While Brooklyn, the eldest of their children followed by Romeo, 23, Cruz, 20, and Harper, 14, has launched possibly the biggest scandal to surround ‘Brand Beckham’ – their decades in the spotlight have been thwarted by controversy.
+14
View gallery
Brooklyn Beckham left the showbiz world in shock when he made a dramatic statement about his feud with parents David and Victoria Beckham, yet the scandal is not the first to hit the family
+14
View gallery
Brooklyn has sworn his allegience to his wife and slammed his parents in the extraordinary attack
+14
View gallery
David and Victoria are pictured with their estranged son in 2002
THE REBECCA LOOS AFFAIR: ‘It was naughty and I fell for him’
In 2004, the Beckhams suffered an extraordinary blow when David’s former PA Rebecca Loos claimed to have had an affair with her then-boss.
The now-defunct News Of The World published claims of the affair, which is said to have taken place when he relocated to Spain to play for Real Madrid in 2003.
At the time Victoria had decided to remain in the UK so that their young sons Brooklyn and Romeo could stay in their schools. David admitted that he struggled with the decision as it left him feeling lonely.
Speaking about how the affair began, Rebecca said: ‘It was naughty and I did feel that it was wrong, but at the same time I was hooked. I fell hook, line and sinker for every single cliche line he fed me…
+14
View gallery
In 2004, the Beckhams suffered an extraordinary blow when David’s former PA Rebecca Loos claimed to have had an affair with her then-boss (pictured in 2005)
‘And then two weeks later we were at Ronaldo’s birthday party and he’s off with this beautiful model. And I was like, ‘Uh.’ That was a hard night for me. I was like, ‘Uh, I don’t understand.’ And realisations started to hit that I’d been massively played.’
One month after her explosive ‘reveal’, then-26-year-old Rebecca took her story to the press again, in a tell-all interview on Sky News.
David staunchly denied the allegations in a statement to The Guardian after which the couple maintained a tight-lipped silence – until 2023.
The couple alluded to the affair in his Netflix documentary, which was released in October that year.
Victoria admitted that the months after his alleged affair were the ‘hardest’ of her life and said she no longer felt like the couple ‘had each other’.
David also admitted he still doesn’t know how they got through the crisis but said he and his former Spice Girl wife knew they had to ‘fight for their family’.
He added that they felt like they were ‘drowning’ when their high-profile marriage was in the headlines for months.
The former England captain also said he ‘felt physically sick every day’ as he and Victoria faced a battle to save their marriage.
Victoria appeared to fight back tears as she was asked if it was the hardest time in their marriage. ‘100 per cent,’ she said. ‘It was the hardest period for us. Because it felt like the world was against us.
‘Here’s the thing, we were against each other, if I’m being completely honest. Up until Madrid, sometimes it felt like us against everybody else. But we were together, we were connected, we had each other.
‘But when we were in Spain, it didn’t really feel like we had each other either. And that’s sad. I can’t even begin to tell you how hard it was. And how it affected me.’
+14
View gallery
The couple went in to defiant overdrive in the wake of Rebecca’s accusations, with PDA-packed red carpet appearances (pictured in 2004)
+14
View gallery
Speaking about how the affair began, Rebecca said: ‘It was naughty and I did feel that it was wrong, but at the same time I was hooked. I fell hook, line and sinker for every single cliche line he fed me’ (Rebecca pictured in 2006)
KATHERINE JENKINS EMAILS: ‘Hacked and doctored’ cocaine slurs
Back in 2017, another scandal shook the Beckhams – this time with opera singer Katherine Jenkins at the helm.
Hacked emails suggested that David was less than happy with the decision to award classical music singer Katherine with an OBE.
He allegedly wrote an email to his PR manager, Simon Oliveira, indicating his fury that she had been handed an OBE after he missed out on the knighthood.
Back in 2017, another scandal shook the Beckhams – this time with opera singer Katherine Jenkins at the helm
David, who himself received the honour a decade earlier, is reported to have sent a furious email to Oliveira, lambasting the decision by the honour’s committee.
In it, he allegedly wrote: ‘Katherine Jenkins OBE for what? Singing at the rugby and going to see the troops plus taking coke. F****** joke.’
The Welsh soprano had previously admitted that her life was almost ruined by cocaine and ecstasy in an exclusive with Piers Morgan for the Mail On Sunday.
She turned her life around when, at the age of 23 in 2003, she was offered a six-album deal by Universal Records worth over £1million, and vowed not to waste her talents. And she later said she was ‘humbled’ to be bestowed with the honour.
The hacked emails also suggest allegations surrounding his stance in the Scottish referendum and investing in loss-making companies to reduce his tax bill.
David’s representatives dismissed the claims, stating that the emails had been ‘hacked and doctored’ from a private account.
A spokesperson for David Beckham said: ‘This story is based on outdated material taken out of context from hacked and doctored private emails from a third party server and gives a deliberately inaccurate picture.’
+14
View gallery
Katherine is pictured receiving her OBE in 2014 – something David raged over
+14
View gallery
David and Katherine are sat awkwardly alonside one another at Wimbledon in 2024
ON PITCH PROBLEMS: Bans, fines and fan scuffles
David has also faced professional scandals, with on-pitch behaviour hitting headlines.
In 2009, the sporting legend sent shockwaves around the football world when he became engaged in a confrontation with fans during his loan spell at AC Milan.
During his loan, a number LA Galaxy fans became hostile against David – with their behaviour including jeering and booing him during a game.
At halftime of a friendly against AC Milan, David approached a group of fans and appeared to challenge them, prompting security intervention and a fan.
David has also faced professional scandals, with on-pitch behaviour hitting headlines (pictured in 2012)
In 2012, he once again hit headlines for his on-pitch behaviour, after he was given a one-game ban and fined an undisclosed amount for his ‘confrontational and provocative behaviour’ during LA Galaxy’s 4-3 defeat by San Jose.
The ex-England captain was involved in a scuffle on the pitch during the Major League Soccer match, where he was alleged to angry at perceived time-wasting, so kicked the ball at Sam Cronin as the player lay on the ground.
After being booked, David then argued with opponents after the final whistle.
An MLS statement said: ‘The committee considered his conduct unacceptable and detrimental to the league’s public image. Beckham will serve his suspension on Sunday when the Galaxy take on the Chicago Fire.’
+14
View gallery
During his loan, a number LA Galaxy fans became hostile against David – with their behaviour including jeering and booing him during a game (David pictured playing for LA Galaxy in 2009)
VICTORIA’S FINANCIAL WOES: ‘We were millions in the red’
When Victoria launched her fashion brand in 2008 she hit headlines after frivolous spending meant she quickly began to make a loss and was forced to rely on handouts from David to bail her out.
Yet it soon became impossible for David to continue funneling money into her business, which reported losses of £66million. Her losses became notorious – with the ailing brand suffering continued downfall.
After investing millions into his wife’s brand, he later reflected on the fear he felt when he could see the numbers spiralling. He said: ‘It made me panic. I was panicked by it because I never saw anything coming back.
‘We always agreed that we would support each other no matter what but it worried me. It wasn’t sustainable.’
Victoria added: ‘There was a lot of waste, we were millions of pounds in the red. I didn’t know what to do and I was so desperate to save this business that I cared so much about. I felt like I was breaking down myself.
‘I felt embarrassed… I was in a hole, it felt like I was in quicksand.’
+14
View gallery
When Victoria launched her fashion brand in 2008 she hit headlines after frivolous spending meant she quickly began to make a loss and was forced to rely on handouts from David to bail her out (a model for Victoria’s 2024 collection pictured)
Despite the early failures, on her self-titled Netflix documentary, Victoria revealed the incredible way she was able to turn around her fashion brand’s fortune after David refused to continue bailing her out.
She explained that she approached businessman David Belhassen, confessing: ‘I really was desperate, not just for the money but for everything else he could bring.’
Belhassen explained: ‘Victoria was not looking for a partner that would just put in money, she needed a partner that knew the business, understood her dream and was capable of making it happen.’
However, he was reluctant to step in, recalling: ‘When I looked at the business, talked to people, I realised this was a very, very difficult situation, it was a disaster. Frankly, I had never seen something as hard as that to fix.’
As a result, Belhassen announced he wouldn’t be able to help Victoria, a move that left the designer ‘heartbroken’.
Yet Victoria’s fortunes changed due to a chance date night between Belhassan and his wife. He revealed: ‘I go out with my wife on the Saturday night and I see her – stunning! And I said: ‘what are you wearing?”
He then learnt that she was wearing Victoria Beckham and that she was buying ‘tons’ of the ‘amazing’ brand.
‘And the flame lit there,’ he explained. ‘It became like a fire. And on Monday, I gathered the team and we say ‘we have to do it, if we fail, we fail’ So we signed, and Victoria was very emotional and she told me ‘I won’t let you down.”
+14
View gallery
Victoria is pictured at the launch of her Victoria Beckham Beauty line last year
KIDNAPPING PLOT: ‘We ask David Beckham for £5m’
+14
View gallery
All the way back in 2002, the couple’s Hertfordshire mansion, known as Beckingham Palace, was at the heart of a scandal which saw nine people arrested amid an alleged plot to kidnap Victoria, Brooklyn and Romeo (Beckingham Palace pictured in 2006)
All the way back in 2002, the couple’s Hertfordshire mansion, known as Beckingham Palace, was at the heart of a scandal which saw nine people arrested amid an alleged plot to kidnap Victoria, Brooklyn and Romeo.
Following security reviews and police intervention, David said: ‘The first role of a father and husband is to keep his family safe’.
The alleged plot was discovered by an undercover team from the News Of The World.
+14
View gallery
Victoria is pictured in 2002
Bosses at the newspaper told police what they had learnt and armed officers arrested three men over allegations of conspiracy to kidnap and theft.
Four men and two women were arrested in connection with the gang’s activities in further raids later on.
It was alleged that they planned to ambush Victoria as she left her Hertfordshire mansion, sedate her – and if present her children too – and imprison them in a south London home until a £5million ransom was paid.
The News Of The World quoted a suspect to say: ‘We take her to a safe house in Brixton and wait until the money is transferred to our overseas account.’
Another allegedly said: ‘If the kids are with her, it’s even better. We ask David Beckham for £5m. It’s 100% he pays. But if something happens and he doesn’t pay, Victoria is going to die.’
The information was gathered by the now-disgraced undercover reporter Mazher Mahmood, known as the Fake Sheikh.
Brooklyn Beckham’s statement in full
I have been silent for years and made every effort to keep these matters private. Unfortunately, my parents and their team have continued to go to the press, leaving me with no choice but to speak for myself and tell the truth about only some of the lies that have been printed.
I do not want to reconcile with my family. I’m not being controlled, I’m standing up for myself for the first time in my life. For my entire life, my parents have controlled narratives in the press about our family. The performative social media posts, family events and inauthentic relationships have been a fixture of the life I was born into.
Recently, I have seen with my own eyes the lengths that they’ll go through to place countless lies in the media, mostly at the expense of innocent people, to preserve their own facade. But I believe the truth always comes out.
My parents have been trying endlessly to ruin my relationship since before my wedding, and it hasn’t stopped. My mum cancelled making Nicola’s dress in the eleventh hour despite how excited she was to wear her design, forcing her to urgently find a new dress.
Weeks before our big day, my parents repeatedly pressured and attempted to bribe me into signing away the rights to my name, which would have affected me, my wife, and our future children.
They were adamant on me signing before my wedding date because then the terms of the deal would be initiated. My holdout affected the payday, and they have never treated me the same since.
During the wedding planning, my mum went so far as to call me “evil” because Nicola and I chose to include my Nanny Sandra, and Nicola’s Naunni at our table, because they both didn’t have their husbands. Both of our parents had their own tables equally adjacent to ours.
The night before our wedding, members of my family told me that Nicola was “not blood” and “not family.” Since the moment I started standing up for myself with my family, I’ve received endless attacks from my parents, both privately and publicly, that were sent to the press on their orders.
Even my brothers were sent to attack me on social media, before they ultimately blocked me out of nowhere this last Summer.
My mum hijacked my first dance with my wife, which had been planned weeks in advance to a romantic love song. In front of our 500 wedding guests, Marc Anthony called me to the stage, where in the schedule was planned to be my romantic dance with my wife but instead my mum was waiting to dance with me instead.
She danced very inappropriately on me in front of everyone. I’ve never felt more uncomfortable or humiliated in my entire life. We wanted to renew our vows so we could create new memories of our wedding day that bring us joy and happiness, not anxiety and embarrassment.
My wife has been consistently disrespected by my family, no matter how hard we’ve tried to come together as one. My mum has repeatedly invited women from my past into our lives in ways that were clearly intended to make us both uncomfortable.
Despite this, we still travelled to London for my dad’s birthday and were rejected for a week as we waited in our hotel room trying to plan quality time with him. He refused all of our attempts, unless it was at his big birthday party with a hundred guests and cameras at every corner.
When he finally agreed to see me, it was under the condition that Nicola wasn’t invited. It was a slap in the face. Later, when my family travelled to LA, they refused to see me at all.
My family values public promotion and endorsements above all else. Brand Beckham comes first. Family “love” is decided by how much you post on social media, or how quickly you drop everything to show up and pose for a family photo opp, even if it’s at the expense of our professional obligations.
We’ve gone out of our way for years to show up and support at every fashion show, every party, and every press activity to show ‘our perfect family.’ But the one time my wife asked for my mum’s support to save displaced dogs during the LA fires, my mum refused.
The narrative that my wife controls me is completely backwards. I have been controlled by my parents for most of my life. I grew up with overwhelming anxiety. For the first time in my life, since stepping away from my family, that anxiety has disappeared.
I wake up every morning grateful for the life I chose, and have found peace and relief. My wife and I do not want a life shaped by image, press, or manipulation. All we want peace, privacy and happiness for us and our future family.”
