The release of the new Netflix documentary BECKHAM has reignited the public’s interest in the football legend’s life and relationships—even the alleged ones.
While these days, David Beckham and Victoria Beckham don’t seem to run into many scandals, 20 years ago, it was a different story—even a couple as committed as these two, couldn’t escape infidelity rumours.
The pair’s seemingly rock solid relationship is perhaps the reason why so many people remember the name, Rebecca Loos—the woman that allegedly had an affair with Beckham in 2004.
But who is Rebecca Loos, and what have the Beckham’s said about the scandal? Below, everything we know about the drama.
Who Is Rebecca Loos?
Rebecca Loos worked as David Beckham’s personal assistant in 2003. At the time, she was 26 years old, and living in Spain—where she was born and Beckham was living while playing for Real Madrid.
Loos is also a Dutch citizen, and interestingly, the second cousin of British TV personality, Piers Morgan.
What Happened Between David Beckham And Rebecca Loos?
A few months after David moved to Spain, the papers reported that he had been spotted with a “mystery woman.” While he was married to Victoria at the time, the former Spice Girl remained in England with the couple’s then-two children, Brooklyn and Romeo.
In 2004, a now defunct outlet called News Of The World, reported that David was having an affair with his personal assistant, Rebecca Loos.
It didn’t take long for Loos to come forward with her own story. According to the Evening Standard, after Loos was fired from her job as David’s assistant, she told News of the World that she and David they had sex multiple times and sent each other explicit messages and calls “as recently as a fortnight” before the reports emerged. She also did a tell-all interview with Sky News, when she claimed she first slept with David in September 2003.”
“I think the chemistry between David and I was so strong and people were not happy because I was being very unprofessional and he’s a married man. We dropped off the other two people in the car and started kissing quite passionately all the way back to the hotel. It was like magnets, pretty amazing.”
Loos wasn’t the only girl who claimed to have slept with Beckham while he was married—Model Sarah Marbeck and Celina Laurie alleged the footballer cheated on his wife with them in 2001, and 2002.
What Have The Beckhams Said About The Cheating Rumours?
At the time, David denied the reports in a statement to The Guardian, which read “During the past few months I have become accustomed to reading more and more ludicrous stories about my private life. What appeared this morning is just one further example. The simple truth is that I am very happily married and have a wonderful wife and two very special kids. There is nothing any third party can do to change this.”
The couple remained quiet about the rumours, and appeared to stay by each others sides throughout the scandal. However, 20 years on, the couple have recently opened up about the rumours for the first time.
In the Netflix documentary, Victoria reflected on the time period, stating “I can’t even begin to tell you how hard it was and how it affected me.”
“Did I resent David? If I’m being totally honest, yes, I did,” she continued. “It was probably, if I’m being honest, the most unhappy I have ever been in my entire life. It wasn’t that I felt unheard, because I chose to internalise a lot of it, because I was always mindful of the focus that he needed.”
David also opened up about the experience, stating “I don’t know how we got through it, in all honesty. Victoria is everything to me — to see her hurt was incredibly difficult. But we’re fighters, and at that time we needed to fight for each other. We needed to fight for our family. And what we had was worth fighting for.”
Where Is Rebecca Loos Now?
After the scandal, Loos worked as glamour model and appeared on a number of reality shows, including The X Factor: Battle of the Stars, Celebrity Love Island, Temptation Island and Extreme Celebrity Detox.
10 years after the media storm, Loos addressed the rumours on the television show Daybreak, telling the hosts, “I’m a mother now and married and knowing what I know now I would definitely have gone about things quite differently,” she said, per the Metro. “I was young and foolish and very reckless. I didn’t think things through and acted on impulse a lot. I think I regret the impact on everybody. I think I could have gone about it in a kinder way.”
“I don’t regret speaking out but I regret the way I went about it.”
In recent years, Loos has seemed to have left the limelight behind, and is currently working as a yoga instructor in Norway. According to her Instagram, she is happily married, with children of her own.
Unfortunately, in the wake of the documentary’s release, Loos has received a new wave of backlash on her Instagram page. One Instagram user posted “Stay strong,” on Loos page, in response to the messages, telling her “You have a beautiful life with your gorgeous family which unlike others doesn’t have to fill the gaps by getting Netflix involved!!!”
Loos responded to the commenter by stating, “Thank you 🙏🏼[I] am taking in the nasty comments with as much humor as I can.”
Rebecca Loos Responds To Netflix Drama
Loos initially remained relatively quiet about the cheating scandal being brought back into the cultural zeitgeist. However, in late October, Loos decided to air her own comments about the alleged affair.
In the documentary, the Beckhams notably dodged admitting whether the affair rumours were true. Loos brought this up in retaliatory comments given to the Daily Mail.
“It’s all, ‘Poor me’. He needs to take responsibility,” she said. “He can say whatever he likes, of course, and I understand he has an image to preserve, but he is portraying himself as the victim and he’s making me look like a liar, like I’ve made up these stories.
“He is indirectly suggesting that I’m the one who has made Victoria suffer.”
Loos added that, yes, the headlines were “horrible” but she alleges they’re “true”.
“I think it’s one thing to keep your private life to yourself. It’s another thing to mislead the public. And so many people had forgotten about all of this. So many people put all this behind them, this whole affair, the scandal and everything. And he’s dragged it back up again in a way that is affecting my reputation,” she said.
Since the Beckham documentary went live, Rebecca Loos has been receiving nasty comments on social media again. The experience has her wanting to tell her side of the story.
She wrote on social media, “A part of me wants to continue keeping my head down and getting on with my life, the other part of me wants to speak out. What is your take?”
