Former Manchester United and England star David Beckham has found himself in the spotlight following explosive remarks 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," wrote 26-year-old Brooklyn in a message shared on his social media platforms.
The reaction to these comments has been varied, but one of the vocal backers of Brooklyn has been David's former United team-mate John O'Kane. Having previously lived with the one-time England captain, O'Kane has not held back in sharing his experiences. "Let's just say he likes to be in TOTAL CONTROL and was OBSESSIVE on PERFECTION," wrote O'Kane, a product of United's academy who moved to Everton in 1998, 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!!"
Back in 2023, though, David opened up about living with obsessive-compulsive disorder. In a Netflix documentary about his life, he said one way the condition manifested itself was through his cleaning and organising his family home after everyone else 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.
"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 had previously discussed his condition before then too, including during an ITV interview in 2006. Speaking ahead of that year's World Cup, he revealed his attempts to resist acting on his compulsions but being unable to stop himself.
"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."
Prior to the release of the Beckham documentary in 2023, the charity OCD-UK appealed for greater understanding of how the condition can affect sufferers. It addressed media coverage of Beckham's remarks and the failure to highlight other ways in which OCD can impact those living 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."