David Beckham was “addicted” to his wife Victoria when they first met and his worried mother Sandra had to try to intervene.
Reflecting on the couple’s love story in the new Netflix documentary BECKHAM, the footballer’s friends and family recalled their shock at the extreme lengths the Manchester United player would go to to spend time with her.
The couple’s intense and conflicting schedule – David at football training in Manchester and Victoria on a world tour with the Spice Girls – meant they rarely had free time together.
But David didn’t let that stop him from doing everything in his power to meet during their first relationship in 1997. The 48-year-old athlete confessed: “I didn’t care when I saw her, how often I saw her.”
“If I drove seven minutes to London to see her, then I’ve done it!”
All over each other: David Beckham was ‘like an addict’ when he started dating Victoria and worried mum Sandra intervened so he didn’t ‘lose everything’
Fight: The couple’s schedule – David at football training in Manchester and Victoria on a world tour with the Spice Girls – meant they rarely had free time together
He added: “I loved everything about Victoria. “I didn’t know she was the strong woman that she is and I like that. I don’t know if it was because I wanted her to take care of me…
“She’s a strong, strong woman.” She can be a pain in the ass though!’
Victoria, 49, was overwhelmed by his grand gestures and recalled: “I was on tour but not knowing when I was going to see him was the hardest thing.”
“He would do anything to spend time with me. Sometimes he would charter a small plane, like a two-seater plane, he would literally come over for a few hours and then fly back.”
But while the couple only had eyes for each other, those on the outside were worried about the impact this would have on the footballer and his career.
Manchester United teammate Gary Neville, 48, explained: “The length he had with Victoria was a lot. “He was like an addict! He would drive four hours to spend 20 minutes with her.
“He was on the phone with Victoria every second and stayed on the phone until 1am.”
David’s mother Sandra, 74, was also concerned and revealed she had been intercepting calls between the pair to prevent David from becoming distracted.
She recalled: “Victoria was away and we were staying at David’s and the phone rang at three in the morning.”
“He was having a game, so I got on the phone and said, ‘He’s in bed sleeping,’ and they wanted to talk.” But being a caring mother, I thought, “You shouldn’t be at this time in the morning ring.”
“But how can you tell them? They are adults. I was afraid he would lose everything he worked for because football came first, and suddenly that wasn’t the case anymore.”
Appearance: Their first meeting occurred when Victoria and her bandmate Mel C attended a Manchester United game and were invited onto the pitch
Shocked: David’s teammate Gary Neville said David was “like an addict” towards Victoria, while his mother Sandra, 74, was also concerned and revealed she had been intercepting calls between the pair
Sandra was right to be concerned, with David’s teammate Paul Scholes confirming: “David upset the manager by going to London when he shouldn’t have.”
David revealed that he first laid eyes on Victoria while watching the Spice Girls’ “Wannabe” music video in the black dress.’
The couple’s intense and conflicting schedule – David at football training in Manchester and Victoria on a world tour with the Spice Girls – meant they rarely had free time together.
Their first meeting occurred when Victoria and her bandmate Mel C attended a Manchester United game and were invited onto the pitch.
Victoria confessed: “I’m not interested in football at all.” I wasn’t interested in football then, and I’m not interested in football now. But I had seen pictures of him in magazines and obviously he was a really good looking boy.
“I went to the games to – some would say to follow him – I would say to see him!”
“When I saw him in the football lounge, all the other footballers were at the bar but he was standing there talking to his parents. “I’m very close to my family and I loved that side of him.”
When both David and Victoria revealed at their first meeting that they had instantly fallen in love, David confessed: “There was something there straight away.” I thought, “Okay, this is it and it’s going to happen quickly.”
David and Victoria grew into a brand and landed lucrative contracts with clothing designers, health and fitness specialists, fashion magazines and perfume and cosmetics manufacturers.
The couple, who have four children Brooklyn, 24, Romeo, 21, Cruz, 18, and Harper, 12, have amassed an estimated net worth of £380 million.
But early in their relationship, Victoria was told by her then-manager to “keep things a secret.”
She confessed: “We met in car parks and that’s not as shabby as it sounds,” and David admitted: “The first kiss I ever had with Victoria was in my BMW in a car park – classy!”
“We kept it a secret for about three months. Then I bought her a Cartier watch and she wore it, and suddenly people started putting it together. So you know, Posh and Becks.’
The couple instantly became a pop culture phenomenon, with Gary describing the hype surrounding the couple as “the new Charles and Diana.”
Family: David and Victoria share four children Brooklyn, 24, Romeo, 21, Cruz, 18, and Harper, 12, and have amassed an estimated net worth of £380 million
David and Victoria even landed on the cover of Vogue magazine, with editor Anna Wintour explaining: “I put them on the cover because my daughter was so obsessed with them that I thought the world had to be like that!”
“When you have two equally charismatic people, the volume doubles and the warmth factor increases significantly.”
Describing the hustle and bustle surrounding their relationship, Victoria continued: David didn’t have many friends at school and neither did I.
“You’re no longer the kid at school desperately looking for a friend, but suddenly you’re being chased on the street.” It was a novelty.’
BECKHAM will be available to stream on Netflix from 8am on October 4th.