It’s been a tough year for Victoria Beckham. After her brand fell into £50 million debt following Covid, the mum-of-four was hit by another unexpected bombshell when her eldest son, Brooklyn Beckham, seemingly deserted her after his wedding to Nicola Peltz in May.
With relations still strained, which began in the lead-up to the lavish wedding, it came as little surprise when Victoria, 48, broke down in tears on stage following her Paris Fashion Week show last month.
Spotting husband David and reaching out to him as she walked the catwalk for her finale, Victoria hugged him tearfully in front of a packed audience and cameras.
Now a source says David, 47, has been Victoria’s saviour over the last few months, and while she reportedly continues to struggle with the distance from her eldest son, he has stepped up to give her all of the support she needs.
They say, “David is gutted to see how devastated Victoria is over what’s been happening, and he knows more than anyone how much she adores Brooklyn – and how unfair it’s all been on her. He’s really doing his best to help.
“David has been giving her extra-special attention, knowing how much hurt she’s hiding. For years he has seen her put their family first and, while he didn’t notice as much during his busy career, it’s really getting to him now – just knowing how much she’s been keeping everything together.
“There was a time, not so long ago, when Victoria genuinely feared that once the kids started leaving the nest, David might leave her too. They do both feel like they’re getting older and it’s a lovely feeling to be able to relax and hang out at home together.”
Rumours of a fallout between Victoria and her daughter-in-law Nicola first began when reports emerged that Nicola refused to wear a dress designed by her mother-in-law on her wedding day.
Taking what was perceived as a public passive aggressive swipe at Victoria, Nicola later denied the claims in a magazine interview and revealed Victoria’s atelier had been unable to make her design.
Photographs then came to light of Nicola fleeing her own wedding reception, allegedly blaming Victoria for hijacking her big day by stealing the couple’s first dance for her “mother and son” moment.
Both Victoria and David have reached out to the couple since, but the rift shows no signs of healing any time soon.
Following the Paris show, which saw Nicola, 27, and Brooklyn, 23, reunite with his family to show their support, Victoria posted a picture of the couple with the caption, “I love you all so much”.
And last week, David also hinted he was missing his eldest son, posting a series of pictures of Brooklyn alongside his siblings – Romeo, 20, Cruz, 17, and Harper, 11 – and captioning the post, “Love you”.
Victoria relayed her husband’s sentiment, reposting his sweet snaps and adding, “We love you @Brooklyn.”
However, Nicola hasn’t posted any Instagram pictures to support her mother-in-law, and a source recently told Closer, “Nicola won’t bow down to anyone.”
Now the source says David is angry that Victoria is being made out as the villain.
They add, “He’s furious over how unfairly she’s been scapegoated in this, and all of the smears on her.
“David has been encouraging her to tell her side of the story as he believed Brooklyn and Nicola needed a reality check, but she refuses to do anything that would hurt her son or make Nicola mad. She still wants to protect him.
“David is in awe of how his wife has handled everything, and it makes him love her all the more.”
With Christmas on the horizon, the Beckhams are also said to have tentatively reached out to the couple with an invitation to spend the holiday with them – presumably at their £6 million picturesque estate in the Cotswolds – but Nicola is said to have flatly refused.
Despite there seeming to be animosity from Nicola, the source says the Beckhams are closer than ever as they rally around their much-loved family matriarch.
“In a way, the Nicola feud has actually been a really good thing for the family. It made them all come together – and has actually given Vic and David’s marriage a boost – and saved them from squabbling over small things,” adds the source.
“They’ve all rallied around Victoria and love her more for how she’s handled it all with such dignity.
“It’s made them very vocal about family values, what it means to be a Beckham and how important they are to
each other.”