Behind the glossy (and pricey) veneer of David and Victoria Beckham’s perfect life
The golden couple’s life isn’t quite as glossy as it appears
If there’s one person who seems to have it all together, it’s Victoria Beckham. Adorable family, hot husband, successful business empire – all shown to the world on her picture-perfect Instagram – the former Spice Girl looks to be winning at life. But last week, Victoria, 43, revealed another side to her shiny A-list existence; one where she feels under constant pressure to maintain this perfect image – at any cost.
“I’ve learned that it’s not becoming successful that’s the trickiest, it’s maintaining success,” admitted the fashion designer, who recently celebrated 18 years of marriage to David. “I smile and laugh a lot, [but I am a] control freak. I always want to be the best, whether that’s designing an amazing collection or being the best mum and wife.”
And that means giving over everything of herself, we’re told. “Victoria is always putting herself under pressure and sometimes pushes herself to the edge,” says heat’s source close to Posh, who’s mum to Brooklyn, 18, Romeo, 15, Cruz, 12, and six-year-old Harper. “Victoria does so much and so it’s hard to make time for herself. David tells her she must relax more and enjoy their success, but she can’t ever switch off. She’s become a respected designer and needs to maintain that every season. Sometimes she looks at her friends and family having lots of fun and wishes she could do that, but she knows it’s one of the sacrifices she has to make for her career. She’s constantly thinking about work or the kids. The only time she relaxes is when they’re on holiday, but even then, she’ll still be on her phone, checking in with work. She’s fought too hard to build her brand and this perfect family image, and now she feels she has to stay on top at all times.”
There’s no denying the woman works hard. Victoria recently spoke of her hectic schedule, saying, “I get up quite early, around 6am, and do an hour in the gym before the kids get up. Then I give them breakfast and David or I take them to school. I’ll then fit in another hour’s workout before I go to the office. I’m very disciplined, I have to be.” She added that she rarely gets time to herself and, during Fashion Weeks, often survives on four hours’ sleep.
Our insider adds, “Victoria knows that she’s the perfect advert for her own clothes, so she always has to look her best. She’s very strict with her diet and exercise and won’t cheat. The only treat she’ll allow herself is wine.” The star confirmed her intense regime earlier this year, saying, “I eat very healthily. I eat lots of fish, lots of vegetables, and a lot of fruit. I work out every day, six or seven days [a week].” She later revealed she also eats salmon every single day to help with her skin.
Posh has always admitted to lacking in confidence when it comes to her appearance, finally confessing she’d had her fake boobs taken out a couple of years ago. She also has regular visits to La-based dermatologist, Dr Harold Lancer. While Posh has always
‘Victoria can never switch off – not even when she’s on holiday’
denied any surgery on her face, it has previously even been claimed that she’s had Botox, fillers in her cheeks and lips and a nose job.
And Victoria’s not the only one obsessed with looking perfect. Last week, former footballer David, 42, appeared to be wearing foundation at his wife’s New York fashion show, although he replied to a comment on Instagram accusing him of having Botox, writing, “I don’t agree with Botox.” Friends say that doesn’t mean David isn’t trying to stop the clock in other ways. “He won’t admit exactly how hard he works to keep his skin looking young, but he spends ages on it,” says our insider. “He reads articles on Gwyneth Paltrow’s Goop site. He’s so into it and likes all the beauty advice on there. Victoria laughs at him and calls him a ‘Goop monster’, but he doesn’t care. He reads everything, from product reviews to nuggets of advice, such as never sitting still for more than 15 minutes at a time. Apparently, Gwyneth once told him that sitting for too long drains all the collagen from your face.”
In fact, such is David’s devotion to Goop, that he’s started having daily sauna sessions, drinking organic wine, avoiding caffeine and indulging in regular collagen lattes. The insider continues, “They’re all things he read about on Goop and has heartily adopted. He has a daily breakfast smoothie with avocado oil, alpha hydroxy acids and aloe vera, and follows Gwyn’s beauty routine to the letter. That means using the $90 Juice Beauty’s Luminous Melting Cleanser, Goop’s Exfoliating Instant Facial – which Gwyn uses every day – and Vinterner’s Daughter Serum, which costs $185 per bottle. David uses a few drops every time he has a facial massage, which is often these days.
“He’s tried microdermabrasion, peels, all the latest radio frequency treatments [a bit like face ironing] like Endymed and Thermage, and micro-needling. And, after reading a Goop article about lasers, he tried resurfacing. David jokes about how hard he works on his looks, but it’s clearly worth the effort – he’s never looked better.”
Being the Beckhams may look like the dream, but it sounds way too exhausting for us. ■