Divorce drama
Beckhams battle to save their marriage
It was supposed to look like a candid Instagram snap, with David Beckham tenderly touching his wife’s shoulder at a lunch for Men’s Fashion Week in London. The caption read, “Moment captured.”
But there was nothing candid about the picture. Instead, it came just hours after the couple of 19 years were once again beset by divorce rumours, with a nasty tale swirling on Twitter about Becks doing the dirty with a teacher at daughter Harper’s school – a claim that the teacher’s father says is untrue.
Then, adding more fuel to the fire, a British bookmaker stopped accepting bets on the superstar pair announcing their split. The future wasn’t looking very bright for the Beckhams at all.
Unusually, David and Victoria, whose marriage has been routinely punctuated by whispers of divorce, decided to tackle the issue head-on by releasing a statement saying there would be no statement!
“This is all very bizarre and an embarrassing waste of time. There is no statement due, no divorce, and a lot of Chinese whispers and fake social media news,” a rep insisted, adding that the rumours were “a crock of s***”.
To cement their united front, the couple put on a pretty good show at the fashion lunch, holding hands and exchanging loving glances. There’s also been an endless rotation of pictures on Victoria’s social media of the Beckham brood enjoying life as a family.
But the reality is, there have been obvious cracks in the pair’s relationship in recent years. Away from the perfect picture painted on Instagram, Posh and David rolled up to the flashy luncheon in separate cars.
Troubled times
Living separate lives has become the norm, not helped by David, 43, moving to Miami, where he launched a new football team earlier this year. In six months, Victoria, 44, has only visited once. Instead, the mother of Brooklyn, 19, Romeo, 15, Cruz, 13, and Harper, six, has focused on her fashion line in the UK.
Soon after the latest round of rumours, sources close to the couple leaked that they were now going to put more effort into their marriage – although they insist that has nothing to do with infidelity.
“David and Victoria won’t let this rock them, and they will be spending more time together,” a close friend explains. “It’s unlikely they will ever split – they are a very strong unit. They have weathered far worse storms.”
The worst storm perhaps was back in 2003, when the former England football captain was accused of cheating with his assistant, Rebecca Loos, with texts between the pair appearing in print around the world.
At the time, the Beckhams were quick to slam the
allegations and David insisted, “The simple truth is that I am very happily married. I have a wonderful wife and two very special kids.”
The couple, who tied the knot in 1999, have become well-versed in pushing back against the rumour mill, with well-timed photographs and public appearances. Those close to the pair say that it’s less about saving the relationship and more about protecting their brand.
Currently, Brand Beckham is worth a staggering $953 million and it’s this family image that Victoria has been recently using to promote her fashion line, which has struggled to stay afloat for the last couple of years.
“David gets really p***ed off with how much she’s putting the kids out there,” reports a source close to the pair. “It’s becoming a real problem between them.”
And while David gets annoyed with his wife using the family to prop up her business, Victoria is said to be less than impressed with his partying with young, beautiful women.
Those close to the celebrity pair claim the former Spice Girl recently had serious words with David about his public flirting with models Alexa Chung and Poppy Delevingne, and his boozy antics at last year’s Glastonbury festival also didn’t go down very well.
But those close to the pair say they’re working on making the relationship “bearable”.
“David loves Victoria having her own fashion business,” tells our source. “He knows if Victoria is busy with her own work, then she is out of his hair, which gives him more time to focus on his own projects.”