Concerns about her husband's latest venture leave Victoria Beckham worrying about the impact it could have on their family.
They’re just a few months off celebrating their milestone 20th wedding anniversary, but scrutiny of the Beckhams’ marriage shows no sign of ending.
It appears things are under strain again, as David, 43, forges ahead with a new gastropub venture – named Lore Of The Land – in London’s upmarket Fitzrovia, with celeb pal Guy Ritchie.
Insiders say the former footballer’s decision to invest was motivated by his desire to have an escape from celeb hotspots and enjoy a quieter life in London.
But wife Posh – who has Brooklyn, 19, Romeo, 16, Cruz, 14, and seven-year-old Harper with David – is worried about the amount of time he’ll have to put into the new investment, when they are already increasingly pulled apart by other work commitments.
CHECK OUT from Kavana to Victoria Beckham: Katie Price’s showbiz feuds
From Kavana to Victoria Beckham: Katie Priceu2019s showbiz feuds - Closer (stacked)
1 of 10Katie Price VS Victoria Beckham
This is one of our favourites. Picture the scene: Victoria Beckham (then Queen WAG, not top fashion designer), at Manchester United, surrounded by a group of Gucci-clad wives and girlfriends – singing Who Let The Dogs Out as Katie Price walked through the lounge.Speaking on her Fubar radio show in 2014, Katie explained: "All it is is that years ago she sang the song in the Manchester United lounge and there's where it started from. "And in a nightclub David held my hand behind her back, it was in my book. It was years ago."
2 of 10Katie Price VS Kerry Katona
After meeting in the I'm a Celebrity jungle in 2004, Katie and Kerry quickly became besties – and Kezza was even bridesmaid at Katie's wedding to Peter Andre.But they fell out in 2007, when Katie publicly disapproved of Kerry's relationship with Mark Croft, labelling her 'a druggie' and him a 'bully'.They made up in 2014, and Kerry asked Katie to be a bridesmaid at her wedding to George Kay.
3 of 10Katie Price VS Kelly Brook
Katie briefly dated Kelly's ex-boyfriend Danny Cipriani, but ended things when she caught him in bed with another woman.But model Kelly was NOT impressed when Katie sold the story in 2013. She tweeted: "@MissKatiePrice Your [sic] doing a kiss&tell on Danny?? Haha that's hilarious. You dated for 5mins and was one of many at the time. Desperate."They've never resolved things, and fell out again in 2014 when Katie branded Kelly a 'heifer'.
4 of 10Katie Price VS Katie Hopkins
Before coming face-to-face in the Celebrity Big Brother house in 2015, motormouth Hopkins angered the Pricey by slamming her youngest daughter's name.Referencing Pricey's husband Kieran's affairs, she tweeted: "BUNNY? Makes sense, given your dad was going at it like a rabbit will all of mum's mates."They did not resolve things in the house, and shortly after winning the show Pricey said: "She's a disgusting human being. She really is."
5 of 10Katie Price VS Peaches Geldof
In November 2012, Katie commented negatively on a photo of the late Peaches Geldof's son Astala, then six-months, playing with their dog Parper.Writing in her column for The Sun, Katie said: "An animal is an animal and that means she they can turn on you at any point. All new mums should also remember that dogs can easily get jealous of new babies."But Peaches hit back. She tweeted: "Funny that Katie Price aka 'Jordan' lol thinks that I shouldn't allow my gentle, sweet golden retriever dog near his best friend, my son. Could say the same thing to her about letting some of the multitude of 'boyfriends' she has near her kids [sic]."
6 of 10Katie Price VS Kavana
Poor Katie. She went into the Celebrity Big Brother house to make friends – and it looked like she did. She and 90s pop star Kavana teamed up for his new music video following their exit, but he later made the mistake of talking about her in an interview.Discussing the budding pop star, Kav told The Sun: "We've decided to to a duet. I mean, God bless her, she can't really sing, can she? But I've said to her that I'll get her in the studio and make it sound good."Unsurprisingly, Katie was NOT impressed with his catty comments. She said: "I did a favour for @kavana_official by appearing in his music video as a favour when he asked but NEVER discussed going a duet with his and this is something that will NEVER happen as infact I'm in the studio recording my own tracks solo [sic]."
7 of 10Katie Price VS Kimberley Crew
When Katie sent a cryptic tweet on Joe Hart and Kimberly Crew's wedding day in July, it was assumed she was suggesting she and Joe had history.Katie teased: "All Harts go out to the married couple is he going to tell her the truth about us? [sic]."Joe and Kimberly have never publicly commented on the rumours, but a source told The Sun at the time: "Kim couldn't care less. She thinks Katie is a clueless bimbo. "She has no concerns about Joe's loyalty and told friends, 'In her dreams! She probably wishes she could get her hands on him!'"
8 of 10Katie Price VS Alicia Douvall
Katie came up against another former frenemy in the CBB house in 2015: Alicia Douvall. Although the two former glamour girls appeared to make up during their time on the show, Alicia hit out after being the first evicted.She told Star magazine: "[Katie] was looking at my body and making comments. There was a twitch of jealousy. Katie is a very clever girl and it was a strategic move to save Katie H [from nomination]."It was revealed in the house that Katie and Alicia both dated Dwight Yorke, the father of Katie's eldest son Harvey.But Alicia added: "It wasn't only Dwight. There are other exes we've shared. We were direct rivals when we were both modelling. She once tried to beat me up in a night club when she was pregnant!"
9 of 10Katie Price VS Jodie Marsh
Probably Katie's most infamous feud – she and Jodie Marsh have never hidden their feelings about each other.When Jodie first emerged on the glamour modelling scene Katie accused her of 'copying her'.In 2015, over a decade after their feud originally erupted, Jodie angered Katie again by insisting she's 'the one who's famous for having loads of kids with different dads'.Katie took to Twitter to hit back, writing: "Don't knock mothers like me, there's lots of us. Didn't you go out with my exes names written all over your body, marking them out of ten after you shagged them (classy)? Well, you've shagged nearly all my leftovers and not one of them wanted you (gutted)."
10 of 10Katie Price VS Chris Hughes
We will NEVER forget Katie Price and Love Island star Chris Hughes' 2017 drama. It all began after Katie denied sending Chris any flirty messages after he said he was ignoring her.Things took a turn for the worse when Chris posted text messages she had sent him but it wasn't long before she hinted she has over 50 screenshots of private messages he sent her.Just when we thought things couldn't get any more juicy, The Sun then verified that Chris HAD sent the mum-of-five private messages (even though he originally denied ever doing so). Pricey then went one step further and flashed one of those secret messages.Eek!
In October, he hinted at the pressure their work lives had put on the marriage, when he confessed, “To be married for the amount of time we have, it’s always hard work. You make difficult situations like travelling, being away from each other, you make it work.”
A source says, “Part of the appeal of investing is that David wants somewhere low-key for a quiet drink with friends. It’s an exciting project, and somewhere that will allow him to escape and have a separate life away from his high-profile showbiz lifestyle.
“But Vic thinks David’s taking on too much. She says that while owning a pub and having a secret bolthole may sound like fun, it’s going to take a lot of hard work, and it will mean a lot of hours away from her and the kids. She knows that to make it a success he’ll be there regularly at the beginning, and worries he’ll need to pop in every night – when that’s the precious time she has with him after work.”
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The source adds that in many ways, David enjoys a “double life”. He may be a regular at glitzy celebrity parties and events, but behind the scenes, he favours low-key nights. In 2016, he said, “I love an old man pub and having a great Sunday roast in front of a log fire surrounded by lots of old people. That’s my ideal situation. I have a great local near me and I go in there so much, no one bothers me any more. I’ve been in there with Tom Cruise and they didn’t bother him, either.”
The source says, “David does all the showbiz parties for work, but when he’s ‘off duty’, the real David just wants a quiet pint with mates. The new pub is a hobby for him, but it’s also going to be somewhere he can go to unwind.”
As Closer reported at the start of the year, Posh – who tends to prefer quiet nights in – had promised David she would try to make more of an effort with his pals, including Dave Gardner and his wife Liv Tyler, and they had been seen out as a foursome multiple times.
But pals say Posh is worried David’s determination to make the pub a success will prevent them from having quality time together.
An insider says, “She’s trying to be positive but she does despair, as she knows he’s a perfectionist so will really put in the work to make it a huge success. She also knows that Guy puts his all into these things; when he bought The Punchbowl pub in Mayfair about 10 years ago, he was often hanging out at the bar with celeb friends like Jude Law, so it’s not just a financial thing for them.
“Besides, it’s not really somewhere she’ll get proper time alone with David. She’s nervous it’ll create some more distance between them.
“She’s also warned him that it won’t be the peaceful respite he’s hoping for, and that once word gets out that he owns the pub, people will flock there to see him.”
Read even more about David and Victoria in this week's Closer - out now.