Netflix partnered with David and Victoria Beckham and, on 4 october, the streaming platform released Beckham. The docu-series was marketed as a ‘never-before-seen insight into who Beckham actually is, including his family, friends, teammates, and — yes — his shopping and cleaning habits’.
Discover our latest podcast
It was also said to be an ‘unprecedented look at an icon’. Looking into the rearview mirror, the docu-series was set to give fans and the general public a peek into his rise to fame and success while also not shying away from controversies.
However, bringing up the past has now had a huge impact on the present.
Beckham brings Rebecca Loos back
Since the four-part documentary came out, David Beckham’s alleged affair with Rebecca Loos has been brought back to the surface. The story, which dates back to 2004, was mostly forgotten before the documentary chose to mention it.
Loos herself had more than moved on and relocated to Norway with her family where she teaches yoga. Since the release of the documentary, the woman has been unwillingly brought back into the spotlight and she won’t let the Beckhams have a hold of the narrative.
For instance, on Sunday 29 October, the woman gave an interview to ITV’s Good Morning Britain. In this interview she said:
But when this documentary came I tried very hard to just let it go and get on with my life but it really bothered me about the angle they used and how he played the narrative, how misleading it is and how he makes me look like the bad person.
Of course I am also guilty, but it takes two to tango and I never denied it. He said the claims are ludicrous - but ludicrous is not denying it.
Moreover, Rebecca Loos claims that she has been subjected to vehement social media attacks.
I woke up to all these horrific messages on Instagram and this awful trolling and read about it in the papers with others, I never experienced it because 20 years ago we never had social media
Rebecca Loos also alleges that she was not aware that the affair was going to be mentioned in the documentary.
David and Victoria Beckham accused of rewriting history
In recent years, many celebrities have opted to work with Netflix on documentaries that aim to humanise them. Those documentaries usually do very well for the platform.
However, since the release of Beckham, it appears that the docu-series has not had its intended impact. While it was supposed to give a look into who David Beckham is behind his ‘icon’ persona, the former footballer and his wife have been accused by Rebecca Loos and now by an investigation conducted by The Sunday Times of rewriting history.
After the documentary came out, Loos spoke to the Mail on Sunday and said:
It’s all, “poor me”. He needs to take responsibility.
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.
On 29 October, The Times released an investigative article titled Fact-checking David Beckham’s Netflix documentary. Their investigation led the publication to find six examples that can prove that the documentary is a ‘case of re-writing history to make sure Beckham’s halo remains intact.’
Of course the Rebecca Loos scandal is one of those things The Times looked into. They found that the ‘Daily Mirror front page appears to start with the words, “The England captain dismissed the allegations as ludicrous.’ However, the real headline from 2004 said ‘My sister DID have an affair with Becks.’
For Deadline, this is further proof that ‘such documentaries are nothing more than sanitised PR exercises for the celebrities involved’.
This is definitely not what the Beckhams expected as a response to their series. However, one needs to note that Beckham is still a massive success. Rewriting History doesn’t seem to impact viewership.
Read more:
⋙ Is Victoria Beckham really Posh?
⋙ Victoria Beckham is back in the spotlight because of this one weird request
Sources:
Cosmopolitan: David Beckham's Netflix documentary release date and details
Daily Mail: Rebecca Loos slams David Beckham for 'spinning a narrative that made me look like the bad person' after football star broke his silence about 'ludicrous' affair scandal in Netflix documentary
Deadline: David Beckham Netflix Doc “Doctored Truth To Spin Narrative”, Say Fact-Checkers
