A-List power couples come and go, but the Beckhams, it seems, are forever.
It’s been nearly 20 years since David and Victoria tied the knot in an unforgettably lavish ceremony; the pair are now proud parents to Brooklyn, Romeo, Cruz and Harper, with a business empire that spans everything from fashion to sport to cosmetics.
In a special anniversary episode of Radio 4’s Desert Island Discs, David Beckham has opened up about the early days of his relationship with Spice Girl-turned-fashion powerhouse Victoria – and has spoken candidly about the ‘tough times’ in his 19-year marriage.
Discussing their early courtship at the height of Victoria’s pop career with presenter Kirsty Young, the former footballer revealed that most of their dates would take place in… the car park of a local Harvester pub. Yes, really.
We used to sit in a Harvester car park and we used to just kind of, you know, kiss, of course, and spend time together,’ he told Young, explaining that Spice Girls manager Simon Fuller wanted the relationship kept under wraps.
Asked about the secret to the longevity of their marriage, he shrugged off talk of ‘brand Beckham’ and emphasised the importance of shared values and a ‘strong family unit,’ which has helped the couple through ‘tough times.’
‘I think because we’re a strong family unit,’ he said. ‘We’ve got strong parents; we were brought up with the right values’
‘Of course you make mistakes over the years, and we all know marriage is difficult at times and it’s about working through it, and whenever we’ve come up against tough times, you know, we know each other better than anybody knows us.’
‘People have talked about, you know, “Do we stay together because it’s a brand?” Of course not,’ he continued. ‘We stay together because we love each other; we stay together because we have four amazing children and do you go through tough times? Of course you go through tough times. It’s part of relationships, it’s part of marriages, it’s part of having children, it’s part of having responsibilities.’
One thing Beckham will admit to regretting, though, is his choice of wedding outfit. ‘That was pretty bold,’ he laughed. ‘I’m like, “What was I thinking?” I even had a top hat in purple. What was I thinking?’
He then went on to reveal that the couple have since renewed their wedding vows in a lower key ceremony, adding ‘it was a lot more private; there was about six people there in our house.’
While –spoiler alert – David won’t be taking any Spice Girls track to his hypothetical desert island, one of his choices was dedicated to his only daughter and youngest child, Harper. Michael Jackson’s ‘The Girl Is Mine’ doubled up as a lullaby when Harper, now five years old, was a baby.
`When Harper was only a few weeks old I used to try and make her smile and blow raspberries on her belly and give her kisses and as I changed her nappy or just held her to my chest […] I’m not really a dancer, so it was kind of a jig from side to side, and I used to spin her around.’
‘And it was that song that I look back and that was my special moment with my little girl.’
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