Glaring Red Flags In David & Victoria Beckham's Marriage That Everyone Ignores
David Beckham and Victoria Beckham have been married for over 25 years, have four kids together, and still seem to like each other. These three elements alone make them a rarity in Hollywood. But, given that he's a retired soccer player and she's a former Spice Girl, they're basically royalty in the U.K. Not in the literal sense, but pretty close, given their friendship with the royal family and that David was knighted by King Charles in 2025.
They certainly act like royalty in some respects, from the lavish lifestyle they provide their daughter Harper to the secrets and scandals they bury deep, deep underneath rugs and in the dark corners of their walk-in closets. That's right, even the most perfect, polished relationship has flaws and red flags to navigate, which are often magnified in the spotlight. Some couples break under that pressure. Others, like the Beckhams, weather the brief storms and move on, hoping that the public will ignore the sketchy details of their union that they haven't run away from yet. David and Victoria seem to have made it through their storms, in part because everyone ignores some very bright red flags in their marriage.
There were rumors that David cheated on Victoria many times
No A-list couple in Hollywood can last over 25 years without making it through a cheating scandal or at least dodging rumors — and David and Victoria Beckham are no exception. The height of their fame as a couple was in the late 90s and early 2000s, which (probably not coincidentally) is around the time they faced allegations that David cheated on Victoria.
Although as many as four women came forward with claims that they had sex with David over the period of a few years in the early 2000s, the most outspoken alleged affair partner was his former assistant, Rebecca Loos. She gave a tell-all interview to Sky News in April 2004 to reporter Kay Burley. Loos, who worked for David in Spain when he was away from his family playing for Real Madrid, said that they bonded because David was lonely without his family. She said the first time they hooked up, they had just finished dinner and clubbing with a group. "We dropped off the other two people in the car and [started] kissing quite passionately all the way back to the hotel," she said, according to Daily Mail, adding that they then went back to his hotel room.
David and Victoria have always denied the affairs. They most recently spoke on the matter in his 2023 Netflix special, "Beckham." "It was the most unhappy I have ever been in my entire life," Victoria said, per Business Insider. "It felt like the world was against us." David said they fought hard together to get through that time for each other and their family.
They've had some huge financial struggles (and might still be in trouble)
In her 2025 Netflix special, "Victoria Beckham," Victoria Beckham confessed that starting her eponymous clothing line caused some tension in her marriage to David Beckham because he invested millions of dollars in the business to support his wife's dream (a promise that they made to each other when they got married), but he was losing so much money he had to tell her he couldn't afford to continue to pour money into Victoria's business. "Part of that conversation broke my heart because Victoria is a proud woman. So for her to have to come to me and say, 'We need some more money, the business needs more money,' that was hard for both of us," David said, recalling the struggle (via Variety).
Victoria eventually found a business to help her manage her business expenses better, but said on the docuseries that she used to cry every day before work because she was so stressed financially. Although the Netflix special implied that the brand's financial situation improved, The Guardian reported in 2025 that the business had losses of $6.6 million converted from pounds by The Cut, which also reported that the brand is currently surviving on an $8.2 million loan.
They don't consider each other's feelings before speaking
David Beckham and Victoria Beckham have both been famous for decades, so it's not a stretch to say they've learned how to act in front of cameras and during interviews, but that doesn't mean that they don't make mistakes, especially when talking about their marriage. In 2018, The Sun reported a friend close to the couple saying it was like a "nuclear bomb had gone off" between the couple following an interview David gave to the Australian TV show "The Sunday Project" amid rumors of a strained relationship. In the interview, David described his marriage as "hard work," given that they've been married for years. His comments reportedly embarrassed Victoria and sent her fleeing to a German spa. But if that's true, the bigger problem is that the former pop star is so sensitive that her husband can barely say anything without offending her.
In her Netflix series, Victoria returned the favor to David during an awkward moment when she called his compulsion to arrive early to events "embarrassing," which, well, embarrassed him. He raised his eyebrows after the comment, which suggested surprise, body language expert Inbaal Honigman told Express. Honigman said he went further by shaking his head and sucking in his teeth after she said it, suggesting he disagreed. He was pouring a glass of wine away from but in earshot of Victoria at the time, and Honigman noticed he moved the wine around in the glass, potentially to soothe himself after being hurt.