The Beckham family have been thrown into the public eye in a very direct sense after an explosive public statement from David and Victoria's eldest son Brooklyn
David Beckham with his sons Brooklyn, Romeo and Cruz in April 2024
David Beckham has lost touch with eldest son Brooklyn(Image: Justin Goff Photos/Getty Images)
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Former Manchester United and England midfielder David Beckham has been in the headlines after explosive comments from his son Brooklyn on Monday.
"Unfortunately, my parents and their team have continued to go to the press, leaving me with no choice but to speak for myself and tell the truth about only some of the lies that have been printed," said Brooklyn, 26, on his social media channels.
The response to the comments has been mixed, but David's former United team-mate John O'Kane has been among the loudest football voices on Brooklyn's side. O'Kane previously lived with his one-time colleague and has been vocal about the experience, though David has previously given his own take on what he's like to live with.
"Let's just say he likes to be in TOTAL CONTROL and was OBSESSIVE on PERFECTION," O'Kane, who came through United's academy but left for Everton in 1998, wrote on X. "If it took Brooklyn to say this and burn down the so-called perfect family. Brand Beckham should not come before your kids no matter what has happened!!”
In 2023, however, David opened up about living with obsessive-compulsive disorder. Speaking on a Netflix documentary about his life, he indicated one way it manifested itself was in cleaning and organising his family home after others had gone to bed.
“The fact that when everyone’s in bed I then go around, clean the candles, turn the lights on to the right setting, make sure everywhere is tidy. I hate coming down in the morning and there’s cups and plates and, you know, bowls," he said.
David Beckham at the premiere of his Netflix documentary in 2023
David Beckham at the premiere of his Netflix documentary in 2023(Image: Justin Goff Photos/Getty Images)
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“I clip the candle wax, I clean the glass, that’s my pet hate, the smoke around the inside of a candle. I know, it’s weird," he admitted.
Beckham has spoken about his condition before, including with ITV in 2006. In the interview, conducted ahead of that year's World Cup, he spoke about attempting to stop acting on his compulsions but being unable to do so.
“I’ve got this obsessive compulsive disorder where I have to have everything in a straight line or everything has to be in pairs," he said. "I’ll put my Pepsi cans in the fridge and if there’s one too many then I’ll put it in another cupboard somewhere … everything has to be perfect.”
Brooklyn Peltz Beckham with wife Nicola
Brooklyn Peltz Beckham has hit headlines for comments about his family(Image: Stefanie Keenan/Getty Images for Vogue)
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Ahead of the release of the Beckham documentary in 2023, the charity OCD-UK called for greater understanding of how the condition can affect sufferers. It addressed media coverage of Beckham's comments and the failure to address other ways in which OCD can impact those with the condition.
"For example it (the coverage) doesn’t mention reoccurring intrusive thoughts, fears or worries or a severe impact on life, all of which a formal diagnosis of clinical OCD requires," OCD-UK said. "Such reporting perpetuates the myths of OCD and stigmatises the suffering that people go through."