Stay up to date with notifications from The Independent

Notifications can be managed in browser preferences.

David and Victoria Beckham discuss marriage ‘difficulties’ in new documentary

Filmmaker Fisher Stevens had to address tough topics with the sports star

Isobel Lewis
Monday 02 October 2023 16:43 BST
Comments
Beckham's mother feared son 'would lose everything' when he started dating Victoria

Your support helps us to tell the story

From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.

At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.

The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.

Your support makes all the difference.

David and Victoria Beckham discussed the “difficulties” in their marriage in a new Netflix documentary, the director has revealed.

The pair are both interviewed in Beckham, a four-part documentary about the life and career of former England player David.

In a new interview with The Sunday Times, director Fisher Stevens was asked whether he spoke to the footballer about the harder parts of his marriage, referred to as “rumoured infidelity scandals”.

“It wasn’t pleasant, but we got into it,” Stevens said.

“For me, I approached it as, ‘How did your marriage stay together?’ and you’ll see how he responds. I talked with both of them about the difficulties they went through.”

Producer John Battsek added: “They were both signed up to telling us whatever we wanted to know. I’m sure you’ll say, ‘Of course you would say that.’ But they were. There was no, ‘You will not ask that or do that.’

“Fisher and I thought that might be the case, but we were clear from the start that we would only do this if we could go in any direction we wanted. And we did.”

David and Victoria have been married for 24 years
David and Victoria have been married for 24 years (PA)

David and Victoria have been married for 24 years. They began their romance in 1997, when Victoria was performing in the Spice Girls and David was playing with Manchester United.

Elsewhere in the documentary, which is released on 4 October, Victoria recalled when she first began dating the sports star and how she was told to keep their relationship out of the public eye.

In a teaser clip from Beckham, Victoria said: “My manager kept saying, ‘Try and keep it under wraps.’ So we would meet in car parks, and that’s not as seedy as it sounds.”

Apple TV+ logo

Watch Apple TV+ free for 7 days

New subscribers only. £8.99/mo. after free trial. Plan auto-renews until cancelled

Try for free
Apple TV+ logo

Watch Apple TV+ free for 7 days

New subscribers only. £8.99/mo. after free trial. Plan auto-renews until cancelled

Try for free

The teaser then cuts to a clip of David, who cheekily added: “Classic.”

The Beckhams, pictured in June
The Beckhams, pictured in June (Getty Images)

In the documentary, David’s mother also revealed that she believed her son would “lose everything” when he began a relationship with Victoria at the height of his soccer career.

“We were worried he would lose everything he worked for because football had always come first and then all of a sudden it wasn’t,” his mother Sandra Georgina West explained.

The description of Beckham reads: “David Beckham is one of the most known names on the planet, yet few people know who he really is.

“From his humble working-class beginnings in east London, his drive and determination to win, and the battle to find balance between ambition, love and family, David’s story is one of immense ups and downs. The series takes you on that rollercoaster and builds a surprising, personal and definitive story of one of the most recognisable and scrutinised athletes of all time.”

Beckham is released on Netflix on Wednesday 4 October.

Join our commenting forum

Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies

Comments

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in