David Beckham and Victoria Beckham‘s marriage has withstood several obstacles over the years — including infidelity rumors.
The couple’s relationship has made headlines since they started dating in 1997, and David and Victoria, who wed in 1999, have never shied away from publicly defending their bond.
“We’re a strong family unit,” David said on BBC Radio 4’s Desert Island Discs in 2017. “We’ve got strong parents. We were brought up with the right values. Of course you make mistakes over the years, and we all know marriage is difficult at times. It’s about working through it. We know each other better than anybody. People have talked about, ‘Do we stay together because it’s a brand?’ Of course not. We stay together because we love each other, because we have four amazing children.”
David and Victoria share sons Brooklyn, Romeo and Cruz and daughter Harper. In 2023, the family let Netflix cameras into their lives for a four-part docuseries. The trip down memory line resurfaced rumors that David was unfaithful when the soccer star moved to Spain in 2003 to play for Real Madrid. Models Rebecca Loos and Sarah Marbeck claimed at the time that they had affairs with David while he was away from his family.
David, denied the allegations at the time and has continued to do so. Loos was also back in the spotlight when the doc dropped, in October 2023. After receiving negative comments on social media, Loos replied to a commenter who wished her well, writing, “Thank you 🙏🏼[I] am taking in the nasty comments with as much humor as I can.”
Scroll on to see what David and Victoria have said about those affair rumors over the years:
The 1st Public Statement
Shortly after Loos claimed she had an affair with David, the athlete released a statement.
“During the past few months I have become accustomed to reading more and more ludicrous stories about my private life,” he said in 2004. “The simple truth is that I am very happily married. I have a wonderful wife and two very special kids. There is nothing any third party can do to change these facts.”
Dismissing the Claims
When other women made their own claims about being with David, he noted that he wasn’t concerned by the speculation.
“I’ve made it clear that with two papers the way I and my family have been treated is an absolute disgrace because at the end of the day, I’m a nice person and loving husband and father,” he told BBC Radio 5 Live in 2004.
Victoria and David maintained a united front with a second statement, which read, “We are sick and tired of people trying to make money at the expense of our family. It is even more distressing when we are expecting our third child soon. The allegations are completely and totally untrue, and it is in the hands of our lawyers.”
Rare Insight Into Their Personal Life
Three years later, Victoria broke her silence about the affair allegations, telling W Magazine in 2007, “I’m not going to lie. It was a really tough time. It was hard for our entire families. But I realized a lot of people have a price.”
She continued: “David and I got through it together. No one said marriage was going to be easy. Yes, there have been bumps along the road. But the fact is we’ve come out of everything we’ve been through stronger and happier. It’s even better now than when we were first married. After all these years, we can just come home and have a laugh together.”
Reflecting on the Past
During Netflix’s Beckham documentary, Victoria said she “internalized” the trauma that came from speculation into her personal life.
“It was the most unhappy I have ever been in my entire life,” she explained in October 2023 after being asked about the affair rumors. “It wasn’t that I felt unheard because I was always mindful of the focus that he needed.”
The fashion designer subsequently made the move to Spain amid the drama. “It was the hardest period [of our marriage] because it felt like the world was against us,” she continued. “Here’s the thing — we were against each other, if I’m being completely honest.”
For Victoria, that period of time was a “nightmare” and she “resented” David for the drama. “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,” she shared. “It was an absolute circus — and everyone loves it when the circus comes to town, right? Unless you’re in it.”
Addressing the Pain
David got visibly emotional while discussing how the alleged infidelity took a toll on his marriage.
“I think we both felt at the time that we were not losing each other, but growing. I don’t know how we got through it, in all honesty,” he said. “Victoria is everything to me, to see her hurt was incredibly difficult, but we’re fighters. And at that time, we needed to fight for each other, we needed to fight for our family. And what we had was worth fighting for. But ultimately, it is our private life.”
