They’ve weathered their fair share of storms throughout their 23-year marriage. But following the furious backlash against David Beckham and his links to World Cup hosts Qatar, sources say Posh is being pushed to her limit as she worries their reputations have become damaged beyond repair. And close friends are making it clear that they are upset and do not approve of his big-money deal.
“Vic feels like the recent backlash against David and the family has been more intense than ever before,” the source says. “As a result, she’s been in tears, she’s really stressed and not sleeping. Some of her friends and family are worried as they don’t think she is taking proper care of herself right now. She just wants the crisis in their lives and marriage to blow over but there’s a worry that ignoring the drama could make things even worse. Brand Beckham has really been through the ringer and she’s devastated at what this could mean for their future.”
David first came under fire last year when it was announced that he had been offered a package said to be worth a total of £150m to be the “face of Qatar” for the 2022 World Cup – a country where homosexuality is illegal and there have been numerous accusations of human rights abuses. Up until then David was regarded as one of showbiz’s most staunch allies of the LGTBQ+ community, a man who supported Pride, professional footballers coming out as gay and proudly graced the covers of gay magazines.
Last week, comedian Joe Lycett urged David to step down from his controversial role or he’d shred £10,000 in cash in a stunt that garnered huge publicity. He later pretended to destroy the money in a wood chipper but had actually donated it to an LGBTQ+ charity.
After Joe also shredded David’s famous 2002 cover of Attitude, the magazine revealed it had removed the cover from its offices and claimed in a statement that “the fall of David Beckham’s star has been fast and heavy.”
And insiders say that Victoria’s loyalty to David could also be putting their celebrity friendships in jeopardy. Her former Spice Girls bandmate Melanie C lashed out at governing body FIFA in a recent interview, insisting, “It’s greed. They can try and spin it that they’re there to make change, but it’s bulls**t – it’s about money. It’s difficult. David is a friend, and everybody has to make their own choices.”
Elton John, who is godfather to Victoria and David’s sons Brooklyn, 23, and Romeo, 20, has also supported the protests against Qatar, with human rights activist Peter Tatchell revealing that he and husband David Furnish were hoping to work together on something.
And Victoria’s close pal DJ Fat Tony slammed the England squad’s decision to not wear the One Love armbands as a show of support for the LGBTQIA+ community, insisting on Instagram that it “said it all”.
The insider adds,“Vic has vowed to stand by David but she feels she’s losing friends in the fashion industry and has found herself ignored by A-list pals including Elton John. It’s put them under so much strain and is very upsetting. Many of her friends feel sad that she is not taking a stand, especially all of Vic’s gay friends who have been messaging asking why she isn’t saying anything.
“It’s so awkward when it comes to Vic’s friends like DJ Fat Tony, who has been extremely vocal about the human rights violations on his Instagram, and they’re friends in real life. They’ve got a lot of mutual friends and it’s causing a ripple effect and people are taking sides.
“It’s no surprise that many people in the fashion industry are completely against what is going on in Qatar right now. Victoria gets it, but she can’t turn her back on David. She doesn’t think it’s fair for him to have all this backlash. She’s hoping they can ride out the storm together – but friends worry that the stress of it all will become too hard to bear.”