16 June 2024 , 19:00
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Victoria and David Beckham found themselves fighting to save their marriage years on from the Rebecca Loos scandal, a new book claims.
The famous couple were rocked in 2004 when David's former PA Rebecca claimed to have had an affair with the footballer during his time playing in Spain for Real Madrid - something the sports star has always strongly denied.
Speaking in the Netflix series BECKHAM, produced by David's company, both David and Victoria last year reflected on the impact the claims had on their marriage, with both admitting: "We were against each other."
But the pair repaired their relationship and moved forward. However, 14 years on from Rebecca's claims, the Beckhams found themselves batting away fresh rumours about their marriage. At the heart of rampant speculation that they were heading for a split, Victoria and her PR guru decided to go all out with a high-profile Vogue interview and photoshoot.
"That would be an ideal platform to crush rumours of a split," Tom Bower writes in his new book, The House of Beckham. "The interview would be accompanied with photographs of the Happy Beckham Family. Beckham returned specially to London for the photoshoot....the entire Beckham family was to be photographed sitting as a harmonious group in a wooden rowing boat on a pond, which was to be shot as if it were a lake."
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"But soon there was tension over whether David would appear in the shoot, with the footballer's publicist adamant that he would not take part. Not mentioned was Beckham's new opinion that his children should not be exploited for the brand," Bower claims. "Unspoken was his apparent fury with Victoria's endless self-promotion campaigns." He added: "The wrangling was followed by an outburst between Beckham and Victoria. Beckham relented. Finally, the family was shuffled on to the boat."
The Vogue photoshoot didn't go to plan for Victoria and David Beckham (Internet Unknown)
Tom Bower's new book The House of Beckham is out soonBut what ensued could only be described as farcical. "Unexpectedly, once the six were afloat, Beckham insisted that his cocker spaniel Olive should feature in the shot too. The dog had 71,000 Instagram followers. Gingerly, the boat was pushed from the shore. Suddenly, Olive jumped into the water."
"Beckham was about to follow and rescue his pet. Screaming 'No', worried that his clothes would get soaked, several assistants plunged into the water to grab the dog. Victoria's face turned to thunder. Another argument blew up. A sulk descended. Plans for the family photo were ditched."
"Victoria posed only with the children and the spaniel. In the aftermath, Beckham and Victoria posed as a twosome, separate and looking rather severe. But they were, as ever, consummate actors. No one looking at the perfect images could have imagined the dramas over the proceedings. The cover photograph would be of Victoria, and only with her four children."
Later the Vogue editor hosted a fancy dinner at Mark's Club in Mayfair. Bower writes: "The rival Beckham publicists co-ordinated the separate arrival of Beckham and Victoria. Professional as ever, they posed holding hands with inscrutable smiles and entered the club. Unknown to the photographers, after ten minutes Beckham left through a rear entrance. Victoria remained, drinking red wine until, amid cheers, she stood on a couch to sing the Spice Girls' big hit 'Wannabe'."
THE HOUSE OF BECKHAM: MONEY, SEX AND POWER by Tom Bower, to be published by HarperCollins on 20th June 2024 at £22. Copyright © Tom Bower 2024.