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..feza.. · Posh on David's England squad heartbreak

Victoria Beckham says David was heartbroken when he wasn't picked for the England squad and believes he is far sexier than she is in a revealing interview.

Speaking at the launch of the Beckham's new his'n'her perfumes 'Intimately Beckham', she confided that she and David were devastated when McClaren did not pick him for the England football team.

"I don't think it was done in the right way. David wears his on his sleeve and yes, he was a bit upset by it," she told the Daily Mirror.

"All I say is 'Is he not one of the best 23 footballers' in the country?"

On a lighter note, Posh confided she thought David was far sexier than she was. Despite wowing crowds with a 50s petticoat and corset, she said: "I always say to David, you're naturally so talented and good looking, so much more so than me.

"Everyone always says, 'Oh David, he's so good looking and so sexy', whereas I'm 'funny'. I don't want to be 'funny'. What do I have to do to be seen as sexy too?!"

Victoria also dismissed the controversy surrounding her good friends Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes and their new baby.

"People say he's (Cruise) strange but he's not, he's just a genuinely lovely, caring person. Tom calls me all the time and he's so in love with his little girl, he'll phone just to talk about her.

"And Katie? She's one of the most down-to-earth celebrities I've ever met."

Mrs Beckham has finally given up her hopes of a super-star pop career, focussing instead on what she knows best...fashion. She is launching her own make-up range, sunglasses and Rock&Republic jeans and admits she is relieved by her career change.

"I was never a great singer and I knew that," she said. "But now it's amazing, I'm doing something I'm very good at. I can sit in a room with Donatella Versace or anyone in the fashion business and be respected as I know what I'm talking about."

And those rumours about a new Beckham baby? "I would love a little girl," she confessed. "But at the moment I take my Pill every morning as now isn't quite the right time."

www.dailymail.co.uk

..feza..

POSH & BECKS MOVING TO US

POSH and Becks are launching a massive double bid to take America by storm - and make mega-bucks.

The couple have decided their future lies in the States where both can give their careers a massive money-spinning boost.

They are already on the verge of buying their own £2million jet so they can make regular trips back to Britain with maximum convenience, security and privacy.

DAVID, said to currently make £12million a year, is considering signing a $100million deal through controversial billionaire Dome owner Philip Anschutz to play for the New York Red Bulls.

It would make him THE face of American soccer.

VICTORIA has won backing for her ambition to launch her own fashion show on US television and become the nation's top style icon.

A pal of the golden couple said: "They have set their sights on becoming American idols. Both are determined to make their dreams come true over in the States."

The People can reveal that former Spice Girl Posh, 32, and axed England skipper David, 31, intend to:

SEEK a luxury home in the exclusive Hamptons area outside New York and find the best schools for their three sons.

ACCEPT an offer from Hollywood pal Tom Cruise to help them make important movie and TV contacts in New York and Los Angeles.

BUY a Cessna Citation jet like one owned by golf superstar Tiger Woods, which carries up to eight passengers and has leather seats, DVD players and bar.

A spokesman for Becks confirmed yesterday: "A move of this kind in the future cannot be ruled out. There has always been interest in David from the States."

Sources close to Real Madrid star Beckham said he is "amazingly excited" about a move to America.

He has become increasingly friendly with mega-wealthy Anschuzt. The tycoon is determined to establish soccer as a top sport in the US and considers Becks the star most likely to help him succeed.

Anschutz sold his stake in the Red Bulls last year but still has strong links with the side. His AEG company is funding a £30million rebuilding of their stadium. AEG has also funded Becks' soccer schools at the Dome and in Los Angeles.

One source said: "David gets on amazingly well with Anschutz. There is a real mutual respect.

"David has made no secret of his love for America and is keen to become the face of soccer over there once his time with Real Madrid is over.

"There have been numerous false dawns over the launch of soccer in the States. But the comtion of Becks and a US business mastermind is irresistible."

Becks - just voted "most desirable breakfast companion " in a web poll of young women - has been asked to play at least one season with the Red Bulls to generate mass appeal for the sport.

A US business source said: "The plan is to turn him into a Captain America type figure. Becks's superstar status is very real." One of David's main sponsors, sports firm adidas, should welcome the move. They signed an £86million deal with the American Major League Soccer last year.

Even if a move to New York does not happen, Becks could play for Los Angeles Galaxy, a team owned by Anschutz.

The star's future at Real Madrid is looking less secure after the Spanish giants rejected a request for a rise on his £4 million-a-year salary. But David, who has been on the subs' bench recently, is still likely to be offered an extension to his current terms when his deal ends.

If he fails to secure a new contract he can talk to other clubs in January. A source said: "No one is expecting Becks to walk out of Real Madrid in January and start playing for the Red Bulls then.

"Ideally he would probably want another two seasons in Europe but even if advisers do secure him a new contract the truth is that his bid to crack America has already begun."

Posh and Becks love America so much they named first son Brooklyn after the New York borough where he was conceived in 1998.

Now former Spice Girls boss Simon Fuller is backing Victoria's bid to raise her profile spectacularly in the US.

Posh's ambition is to have her own fashion reality TV show. Fuller, who claims Posh has already had dozens of offers from US networks, confirmed he is negotiating with TV bosses.

Fuller, who created hit series Pop Idol, said: "It will be more serious than a reality show but will be entertaining because Victoria is so funny."

The 19 Entertainment chief has advised Posh to make herself seen in New York fashion circles over the next few months. Victoria recently joined the star-studded audience at New York fashion eek, appearing in a variety of eye-catching outfits.

She has already won deals to have her Rock n' Republic fashion range distributed in the States.

She said on a recent visit to America: "I'd just love to spend more time here. There are so many great opportunities." Our source said: "If things go as David and Victoria plan they will spend most of their time in the States and the children will go to school there.

"There is no shortage of good schools in and around New York."

The couple rate The Hamptons, on the eastern tip of Long Island, as a great place to live. Paul McCartney has a retreat there.

Posh and Becks might also buy property in Los Angeles. Explaining the couple's decision to buy a jet, the source said they would want to fly back regularly to stay at their Hertfordshire mansion.

Tom Cruise, who owns three jets, is believed to have put the Beckhams in touch with an aircraft dealer in Orlando, Florida.

They have been asked to submit a written offer of £2million to clinch the purchase of a Citation.

The source said: "They will never let go of their UK ties completely."

www.people.co.uk

..feza..

POSH and Becks are launching a massive double bid to take America by storm - and make mega-bucks.

The couple have decided their future lies in the States where both can give their careers a massive money-spinning boost.

They are already on the verge of buying their own £2million jet so they can make regular trips back to Britain with maximum convenience, security and privacy.

DAVID, said to currently make £12million a year, is considering signing a $100million deal through controversial billionaire Dome owner Philip Anschutz to play for the New York Red Bulls.

It would make him THE face of American soccer.

VICTORIA has won backing for her ambition to launch her own fashion show on US television and become the nation's top style icon.

A pal of the golden couple said: "They have set their sights on becoming American idols. Both are determined to make their dreams come true over in the States."

The People can reveal that former Spice Girl Posh, 32, and axed England skipper David, 31, intend to:

SEEK a luxury home in the exclusive Hamptons area outside New York and find the best schools for their three sons.

ACCEPT an offer from Hollywood pal Tom Cruise to help them make important movie and TV contacts in New York and Los Angeles.

BUY a Cessna Citation jet like one owned by golf superstar Tiger Woods, which carries up to eight passengers and has leather seats, DVD players and bar.

A spokesman for Becks confirmed yesterday: "A move of this kind in the future cannot be ruled out. There has always been interest in David from the States."

Sources close to Real Madrid star Beckham said he is "amazingly excited" about a move to America.

He has become increasingly friendly with mega-wealthy Anschuzt. The tycoon is determined to establish soccer as a top sport in the US and considers Becks the star most likely to help him succeed.

Anschutz sold his stake in the Red Bulls last year but still has strong links with the side. His AEG company is funding a £30million rebuilding of their stadium. AEG has also funded Becks' soccer schools at the Dome and in Los Angeles.

One source said: "David gets on amazingly well with Anschutz. There is a real mutual respect.

"David has made no secret of his love for America and is keen to become the face of soccer over there once his time with Real Madrid is over.

"There have been numerous false dawns over the launch of soccer in the States. But the comtion of Becks and a US business mastermind is irresistible."

Becks - just voted "most desirable breakfast companion " in a web poll of young women - has been asked to play at least one season with the Red Bulls to generate mass appeal for the sport.

A US business source said: "The plan is to turn him into a Captain America type figure. Becks's superstar status is very real." One of David's main sponsors, sports firm adidas, should welcome the move. They signed an £86million deal with the American Major League Soccer last year.

Even if a move to New York does not happen, Becks could play for Los Angeles Galaxy, a team owned by Anschutz.

The star's future at Real Madrid is looking less secure after the Spanish giants rejected a request for a rise on his £4 million-a-year salary. But David, who has been on the subs' bench recently, is still likely to be offered an extension to his current terms when his deal ends.

If he fails to secure a new contract he can talk to other clubs in January. A source said: "No one is expecting Becks to walk out of Real Madrid in January and start playing for the Red Bulls then.

"Ideally he would probably want another two seasons in Europe but even if advisers do secure him a new contract the truth is that his bid to crack America has already begun."

Posh and Becks love America so much they named first son Brooklyn after the New York borough where he was conceived in 1998.

Now former Spice Girls boss Simon Fuller is backing Victoria's bid to raise her profile spectacularly in the US.

Posh's ambition is to have her own fashion reality TV show. Fuller, who claims Posh has already had dozens of offers from US networks, confirmed he is negotiating with TV bosses.

Fuller, who created hit series Pop Idol, said: "It will be more serious than a reality show but will be entertaining because Victoria is so funny."

The 19 Entertainment chief has advised Posh to make herself seen in New York fashion circles over the next few months. Victoria recently joined the star-studded audience at New York fashion eek, appearing in a variety of eye-catching outfits.

She has already won deals to have her Rock n' Republic fashion range distributed in the States.

She said on a recent visit to America: "I'd just love to spend more time here. There are so many great opportunities." Our source said: "If things go as David and Victoria plan they will spend most of their time in the States and the children will go to school there.

"There is no shortage of good schools in and around New York."

The couple rate The Hamptons, on the eastern tip of Long Island, as a great place to live. Paul McCartney has a retreat there.

Posh and Becks might also buy property in Los Angeles. Explaining the couple's decision to buy a jet, the source said they would want to fly back regularly to stay at their Hertfordshire mansion.

Tom Cruise, who owns three jets, is believed to have put the Beckhams in touch with an aircraft dealer in Orlando, Florida.

They have been asked to submit a written offer of £2million to clinch the purchase of a Citation.

The source said: "They will never let go of their UK ties completely."

www.people.co.uk

..feza..

POSH TREATS HER TO GIRLS-ONLY PARIS BREAK

VICTORIA Beckham is treating new pal Katie Holmes to a girlie break in Paris - with no kids allowed.

Victoria, 33, has front-row seats for the best of this week's fashion shows in the French capital.

Her packed two-day itinerary also includes designer shopping trips and exclusive pampering sessions.

TV star Katie, 27 - who gave birth to daughter Suri in April - flew into Paris by private jet yesterday. Mum-of-three Victoria, right, will join her today.

The pair became close through Posh and Becks' friendship with Katie's fiance Tom Cruise. A source close to Katie, left, says: "They have been in touch every few days since Suri was born. Victoria thought Katie could do with a couple of days of 'me' time to indulge herself. Katie is very excited about the trip."

www.mirror.co.uk

Guest

Paris loves ebony and ivory

FASHION fans Victoria Beckham and Katie Holmes look chess great as they make their moves around Paris — dressed in black and white.

The mono-loving pals were checking out the spring/summer 2007 collections during the city’s Fashion Week.

Posh, 32, wore an all-black trouser suit and cape as she left the swanky Ritz Hotel with Katie — in a white suit.

They swapped looks the next day with Tom Cruise’s girlfriend Katie, 27, in black trousers and blouse and Posh all-white in a pleated dress.

They topped off the look with sunglasses — which they kept on when they emerged later yesterday, this time both in black dresses. Onlookers said they looked stunning, but some fans thought it was all getting a bit monotonous.

Guest

Beckham's new job is coach to Brad Pitt's son
As David Beckham's international football career comes to an end it appears he has already lined up a new job as a children’s soccer coach.

And the Real Madrid player's first pupil on his books is none other than Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie’s adopted son Maddox.

The footy-mad five-year-old has already enrolled at the David Beckham Soccer Academy in Los Angeles, and now Pitt, 42, wants the ex-England captain to give Cambodian-born Maddox some one-on-one coaching.

And the middleman behind this bizarre arrangement is former Wimbledon hard man Vinnie Jones.

The 41-year-old footballer turned actor, who starred alongside Pitt in hit gangster movie Snatch, has become pals with Beckham thanks to his promotion work for his U.S. soccer schools and asked him to take a look at the kid.

A source told The Sun: "Brad has asked if there is any chance of David giving a one-on-one tutorial.

"It seems all the all the ex-pats from the UK join a local football team in Hollywood. Celebs like Robbie Williams, Jason Statham and Vinnie know each other through having a knockabout."

The source added: "Maddox was being coached by an English guy over there who happened to tell Vinnie."

The training request from the Fight Club star will no doubt please wife Victoria, 32, as they have been trying to establish Brand Beckham stateside for some time are keen to make friends with the Hollywood elite.

The Beckhams already count Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes among their pals and are rumoured to want to move to LA after he retires from football.

Guest

POSH LAID BARE
EXCLUSIVE 'Jeans fit.. but trust me, I look awful nude'
VICTORIA Beckham has admitted that she HATES the sight of herself in the nude.

In a revealing interview, the fashion icon tells how she DOESN'T like her famously slim figure - even though she is one of the world's most photographed women.

She also reveals how she has spoken with Hollywood superstar and close friend Tom Cruise about his belief in the bizarre Scientology religion. And she says that her marriage problems with David, 31, two years ago have made her "a stronger person".

The former Spice Girl returned to Madrid yesterday after a 48-hour shopping trip to Paris with Cruise's fiancŽe Katie Holmes. And in a revealing interview with the Australian edition of Harper's Bazaar magazine, Victoria, 32, admits: "I've got so much saggy skin on my stomach and I've got no bum at all. I might fit into jeans but, trust me, I look really awful naked."

Victoria tells why she dumped her long locks for a demure Sixties-style bob in August. She says: "I got sick of those bloody hair extensions."

In recent years the mother of sons Brooklyn, eight, Romeo, four, and 20-month-old Cruz has turned her back on the music business.

She has focussed on fashion, designing her own handbags under the Samantha Thavasa label plus jeans and sunglasses, using the DVB name of her and David's initials.

Last month the couple launched "his and her" fragrance Intimately Beckham during a lavish Press conference in the picturesque Italian city of Venice.

Despite show business rumours, Victoria is adamant she has no plans to return to music or tryacting - preferring to be a designer.

"I'm done with music and I'm never going to act. I was an OK singer and an OK dancer and I had to work at it.

"I never want to act. "Fashion is what I love. I've dreamed of doing my own clothing line even before I was a a Spice Girl.

"Now I can do what I love and I've found that I'm really good at it."

The Far East is a profitable market for Brand Beckham, now believed to be worth up to £75million.

Despite David's dwindling football fortunes, that have seen him dropped by England and left him fighting for his place in the Real Madrid team, the Japanese still adore him.

Victoria says: "There's a temple where the Japanese go to pray to a statue of David. I know it sounds crazy but it's true."

Two-and-a-half years ago, their marriage was rocked when his ex-PA Rebecca Loos claimed she had an affair with Becks. At one point, it seemed the couple would split. But Victoria moved to Madrid to join Becks and the relationship survived.

Victoria has never spoken publicly of the "affair". But she says: "We've had a fair amount of crap thrown at us and it can be very upsetting. If it doesn't kill you it makes you stronger.

"I think we are a very strong family. We love each other to pieces. You work things out if you really love someone.

"It's easy to give up and a lot of people do. But I look back now and see it has made me a stronger person."

Victoria also admits she once loved the oxygen of publicity - but says that is no longer the case.

"But do I wish I could be anonymous? Of course, I don't need to feed my ego that way any more."

In the interview Victoria reveals how she has spoken with Holmes' love, Mission Impossible star Cruise, about his Scientology faith.

But she insists the pair were "cool" despite their devotion to the off-kilter sect.

Victoria confesses: "I've spoken to him about Scientology - I'm quite inquisitive - but I don't know anything about it. They do what they do and they're cool."

Guest

David Beckham is a silly sud

By JULIE MOULT
October 10, 2006

DAVID Beckham was fooled into bathing in Evian water on a trip to Russia — after he was told tap water would turn him bald.

Fellow soccer stars Ryan Giggs and Gary and Phil Neville also fell for the wind-up.

And footie officials only realised the players had been taken in when they asked why they were getting through so much mineral water. The joke was played on Becks and his fellow ex-Man Utd stars on a trip to Russia for a UEFA Cup tie against Rotor Volgograd in 1995.

Brian Kidd, then assistant manager, said the water was contaminated after the Chernobyl nuclear disaster and washing in it would make their hair drop out.

Ian Dunwoody, who organises Man Utd’s trips abroad, has just revealed the joke.

He said: “We took our own food and bottled water. When I asked about the amount of water being used they said it wasn’t for drinking but for washing. It costs thousands of pounds in water.”

Guest

Hourglass Victoria's Posh frock
October 12, 2006
VICTORIA BECKHAM has been moaning recently about not having natural curves.

Posh admitted to upmarket Harper’s Bazaar magazine the other week that she looked “really awful naked.”

She also complained: “I’ve got so much saggy skin on my stomach.”

But now it looks like she has discovered the perfect solution.

The former Spice Girl was snapped out and about in Madrid yesterday wearing a stylish grey dress that gave her an ample hourglass figure.

Her little black ankle boots even made her legs look more shapely than her normal matchstick style.

She’ll still have to eat about three tonnes of paella before she can fill in the space around her tum, though ...
http://www.thesun.co.uk/article/0,,4-2006470454,00.html

Guest

Brand Beckham fading as player loses £1.5 million contract
Once the England football captain stepped down - and was left out of the squad - the demise of Brand Beckham appeared inevitable.

And yesterday, as David Beckham was dropped as the face of Police sunglasses, it began.

Police has been paying the footballer £1million a year for six years - but sources said he became 'less of a commodity' after the World Cup.

The 31-year-old is to be replaced by Spanish actor Antonio Banderas, 46.

Beckham's contract with the brand was up last month. But well-placed sources at the company said his card was marked from the moment England lost to Portugal in the World Cup quarter-finals in July.

A source at Police said: 'The contract was due to end on September 15.

'But in the months running up to that, there were issues over the World Cup and the resulting fall-out for David. The decision to go for a more worldwide-appeal personality came in the light of that.'

The day after the quarter-finals Beckham stepped down as England captain and has not been picked for the squad since.

The source added: 'Antonio was seen as more of an alpha male. The brand was also keen to have a personality which meant more to U. S. audiences.

'There is no doubt that Beckham has done a lot for Police but it quickly became obvious after the World Cup that he was going to become less of a comHighlight: Beckham in the shades modity.'

Sources close to Beckham said it was his decision to end the deal. 'David chose not to renew the contract. It was never a big payer anyway.

'It prevented him from doing other things - launching his own range of sunglasses, for example.'

A spokesman for Beckham said the relationship with Police was 'successful' but both parties 'wanted to move in different directions'.

It was reported last month that Beck-ham was about to lose his role as the face of Gillette, but his spokesman denied that. Yesterday the footballer's wife was spotted shopping in Madrid, wearing an outfit which made her 23in waist appear even smaller.

An over-sized belt cinched in Victoria Beckham's waist, while her ample chest was pushed up to even greater effect.

Although she has always denied it, speculation continues that she has had surgery on her once negligible bust.

Guest

VICTORIA Beckham has told how she copes with the pressure of being a fashion icon and mum without becoming a wreck.

Posh, 32, admits she gets “massively stressed as a mum” and adds: “You often feel you have no time to yourself.”

But she says she has turned that into something positive.

She said: “Being a mother’s taught me not to waste time faffing about in the closet every morning. You learn how to get things done quicker, and often you do them just as well.”

Posh, whose sons Brooklyn, Romeo and Cruz are aged seven, four and one, added: “Nowadays, I multitask, planning outfits while I’m doing something else — getting ready for bed or taking a bath.

“Even though I love getting dressed up, there’s always the risk of baby sick down my front. That’s why I live in jeans and T-shirts.”

Posh also vows she will never go knickerless in public, in her new book That Extra Half An Inch.

The ex-Spice Girl advises women to beware of mini-skirts, saying: “I’ve seen people getting out of cars with no knickers on!”

Guest

Posh: No more kids for a year

VICTORIA Beckham has revealed that she will not have another child for a year.

Despite rumours that she was keen to have a daughter, Posh admitted that coping with her three sons was already “hard work”.

And she said she would never sing with the Spice Girls again because she wanted to concentrate on her fashion career.

Victoria, 32, said: “I would love to have more children — maybe not for a year or so because I’m enjoying the three I’ve got. And it’s hard work.”

She told US Harpers Bazaar magazine that she and hubby David have their hands full with sons Brooklyn, seven, Romeo, four, and Cruz, one.

The ex-Spice Girl went on: “I don’t want to be getting on the stage any more doing those kinds of things.

"I love to sit and draw and to meet with designers, to travel and get inspiration. I’m enjoying that a lot more.”

Victoria, who has designed a range of jeans, is in the US magazine as she continues to build her profile in America.

Guest

Lady Beckham?

David Beckham may be returning to Buckingham Palace soon for a knighthood.

The footballing star received an OBE in 2003 and is tipped to become a Sir in the 2007 New Year Honours following his work for the London Olympic bid.

Whispers in Whitehall have also suggested the move could be motivated by Tony Blair's anxiety to be seen as a populist Prime Minister.

If the former England captain is knighted, his wife would transform from Posh Spice to Lady Beckham - a name in keeping with their country residence nicknamed 'Beckingham Palace.'

The title would see Beckham launched into the company of English footballing greats including Sir Geoff Hurst and Sir Bobby Moore.

Guest

VICTORIA IS NICE SPICE FOR EMMA
Strictly Come Dancing judges are so out of step

VICTORIA Beckham is set to appear on the show to back her Spice Girl pal Emma Bunton.

Posh, 32, booked herself into the audience after Emma, 30, asked for her support.

The former Baby Spice is one of the bookies' favourites to win - but she has broken down weeping on screen, blaming stress.

Posh, a great fan of Strictly Come Dancing, has phoned Emma several times from her home in Spain to offer advice and encouragement.

She will attend a show next time she is in Britain.

Hubby David, a pal of competitor DJ Spoony, can't be there because of Real Madrid's fixtures.

A show insider told The People: "Emma has had brilliant help from Victoria.

"She's excited that Victoria wants to come over and sit in the audience.

"Emma is pleased that Posh is backing her bid for glory."

Guest

We're in bed with Posh

By DANIELLE LAWLER
Showbiz Reporter
October 25, 2006

STOP reading The Sun for a moment, luv. You’re supposed to be on a sexy photoshoot.

Victoria Beckham couldn’t bare to put down her fave paper — but looked im-Press-ive in a sexy set of snaps for her new fashion book.

But Posh, 32, insists that she HATES flashing her body in public, saying: “I’m quite prudish about things like that.”

To see pics:
http://www.thesun.co.uk/article/0,,2006490379,00.html

Guest

Beckhams are left high and dry

October 24, 2006

IT seems the BECKHAM curse has struck again.

The haunted French chateau VICTORIA and DAVID bought in Provence has had another disastrous setback.

The couple’s plans for lazing in the pool have been sunk by a paperwork blunder over planning permission.

Their dozy architect didn’t present all the documents needed to get a new pool — and they can’t use the current one because of cracks in the bottom of it.

Spookiness, pool problems and other structural troubles mean the Beckhams have not managed to spend a night in their chateau since buying it in 2003.

And it looks their children BROOKLYN, ROMEO and CRUZ will have to wait another year for a paddle. A source said: “No matter who the person is, they need official approval for any big renovation.

“Victoria and David have been waiting for years to use their house in the summer.

“Now because the architect has messed up, I doubt they will be using it next year either.”

It sounds like they should say au revoir to the whole idea.

Guest

Beckham can go for £5m

By IAN MCGARRY
October 25, 2006

DAVID BECKHAM can quit Real Madrid for a cut-price £5million in January.

The former England captain, 31, is fed up with life on the bench under new coach Fabio Capello and is refusing to sign a new contract.

Now the Spanish giants are prepared to take a £20m loss on the player when the transfer window opens rather than lose him for nothing next summer.

Real bought Becks from Manchester United in July 2003 for £25m.

A club source said: “Beckham has made his feelings clear over the past few days.

If the coach continues to leave him out of the team then there is every chance we will accept a suitable offer for him in January.”

Becks was used as a late sub in Sunday’s 2-0 win over rivals Barcelona after claiming life at Real was “sad” and “frustrating”.

At £5m, there will be plenty of interest from Premiership clubs even though he recently said he would not return home.

Newcastle boss Glenn Roeder believes there would be no shortage of suitors if he changed his mind. He insisted: “I think a lot of clubs in the Premiership would like to have David Beckham.

“I’m sure he’s got plenty to offer whether he stays at Real or moves on.”

Guest

Beckhams to the rescue
A girl with a rare medical condition can finally safely sleep at night, thanks to the Beckhams.

Six-year-old Alice Lee suffers from microcephaly, which means she still has the mind of a baby.

Mum Joanne, 32, desperately needed a special bed for Alice, with built-up sides to stop her falling out. But the £4,000 cost meant it was out of the question.

That was until ex-England captain David Beckham, 31, and wife Victoria, 32, heard of Alice's plight.

Joanne, of Alfreton, Derbys, decided to write to Victoria's mum Jackie Adams, 57, to tell her about her daughter's rare condition.

Alice suffers fom microcephaly, in which the heard and the brain don't grow with the body. It means she has the mind of a five-month-old.

Then Joanne was stunned when she received a phone call from Jackie saying the celebrity couple would pay for the special bed.

"It has given me new respect for the Beckhams," said Joanne, who also has an eight-year-old son.

"Everyone knows them as celebrities, but I want people to know there is another side to them. Thanks to them, we can all sleep well at night

Guest

EXCLUSIVE: VICTORIA'S SECRETS

'I'm careful at the shops .. some try to rip me off' 'Champagne and caviar? I'd sooner a slice of toast' 'I am happiest at home in my M&S slippers'

VICTORIA Beckham hopes this sexy shot will get fans stocking up on her new style guide.

But the mum-of-three, 32, pictured posing in little more than a Burberry raincoat and Christian Louboutin stilettos, also reveals how modest her tastes are when she's away from the limelight.

She says in That Extra Half an Inch: "High-heeled marabou feathered pumps look fabulous, but are hardly going to work dashing round the kitchen.

"Instead I like little flat ones with patterns that my mum always gets for me from Marks & Spencer." David Beckham's missus adds: "The idea that once you get a bit of money you stagger round all day in couture and stilettos is mad as thinking you will survive on caviar and champagne.

"Staples remain the same. Toast is still my favourite food and at the end of the day I am happiest in jeans."

The former Spice Girl also reveals how some shops try and rip her off. She says: "Vintage stores never have prices on and I had a miserable experience recently. I saw something I loved and asked the owner how much. You could see him think Hmmm... Victoria Beckham. Then with a straight face he said £5,000. I left empty handed!"

Posh may be keen to show off her ordinary side, but her style guide is full of treats for fans. She's snapped in a dressing gown, pink bra and turban. And in a nod to her heroine Audrey Hepburn, she's pictured wearing a stunning vintage Christian Lacroix gown.

Guest

POSH'S CRUISE CONTROL

MISSION Impossible star Tom Cruise will be hoping it's third time lucky when he weds Katie Holmes next month.

Twice-divorced Tom and his fiancee are making sure everything goes smoothly with Victoria Beckham giving tips to help Katie get ready. She and hubby David will be guests of honour at the do in Italy on November 18.

The former Spice Girl will fly to LA next week for a secret meeting, where she will give pal Katie, 27, advice for her big day - rumoured to be taking place near Lake Como in Lombardy.

An insider tells us: "This is fantastic news for Katie. Not only has a date been set for her big day, she has got fashion queen Victoria helping with her wedding plans.

"She wants to have a stylish low-key hen do and if Victoria's around she'll be there helping her celebrate."

The singer-turned-fashion designer helped fellow WAG and Girls Aloud star Cheryl Tweedy find the perfect dress for her July nuptials to Ashley Cole.

She and Katie have become close over the past two years through 44-year-old Tom's friendship with Real Madrid star David, and Tom even flew to Spain to catch a match.

Katie broke the news to Posh, 32, earlier this month when Victoria invited the ex-Dawson's Creek actress on a girlie break to Paris. However she was sworn to secrecy.

During the no-kids-allowed two-day break they took to the trendiest boutiques and attended top fashion shows, even stepping out together in a mix-and-match monochrome look in the French capital.

Tom's spokesman confirmed the date, rumoured to be influenced by Cruise's Scientology belief, and added: "Proper security measures are being taken to ensure they can exchange their vows in private."

On October 20, friends and family of the couple, who have a six-month-old baby daughter Suri together, received their invitations and were told to keep the weekend of November 16-19 free.

Katie accepted Cruise's proposal at the top of the Eiffel Tower in June 2005. She has already picked out a dress by Giorgio Armani who is creating a suit for Tom.

Armani said: "It is an honour to play a small role in that milestone moment."

Tom previously tied the knot with Mimi Rogers and Nicole Kidman. Ah well, if at first...

Guest

Becks to miss Tomkat wedding

October 26, 2006

DEVASTATED David Beckham will miss seeing pals Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes get married.

Becks, 31, is due to play for Real Madrid the day after Tom, 44, and Katie, 28, wed in Italy next month.

And his club says he has to spend the day of the wedding in Madrid.

Guest

Posh 'n pecks for cosy couple

October 28, 2006

POSH and Becks look just pucker as they smooch at a Spanish airport.

The touchy-feely pair were snapped in Barcelona where the Real Madrid star was due to film a new Pepsi advert.

Posh looked stylish in a short jumper dress, boots and a flat cap.

And Becks clearly approved, kissing her on the top of her head as they arrived at the terminal.

Guest

Beckham goes to Hollywood

David Beckham has moved a step closer to fulfilling his Hollywood dream after being offered the chance to end his career with Los Angeles Galaxy by joining them next summer.

Sportsmail can reveal that Philip Anschutz, owner of the Major League Soccer club and a stakeholder in the ex-England captain's football schools, is confident that Beckham will move to the west coast of America.

The 31-year-old star has already opened aschool in LA and Anschutz believes he will be able to persuade him to quit Real Madrid when his contract ends in June.

Although there is a salary cap in the MLS, the American tycoon is prepared to bankroll the deal for the most marketable player in football history through his sports entertainment company AEG.

Anschutz, the 31st richest man in the United States, owns four teams in the MLS, but believes the Beckham brand would be best exploited if he can persuade him to move to Hollywood.

Although Beckham cannot open talks with the LA Galaxy until January, he has spoken of his desire to finish his career in the U.S. and there have already been tentative offers from other clubs, including the New York Red Bulls. However, Anschutz believes his existing association with the player will hold sway.

The midfielder, out this weekend with a thigh strain, has spent most of the season on the bench under new Real coach Fabio Capello and although he has vowed to fight for his place in the side, time now looks to be running out on his career in Spain.

He is determined to regain his iconic status in world football and so a move to America holds more appeal than ever.

I doubt even Becks would make the MLS more exciting!!I sure wouldn't watch!!He should just retire than try to come to Cali and play for the Galaxy w/Landon Donovan!!

Guest

I'd love to be Posh enough to be a real Lady Becks

Victoria Beckham today revealed she would "love" to be known as Lady Posh.

She said her hopes had been raised after reading a report that husband David would be knighted for services to football.

She added: "I'd love to be Lady Beckham, it would be fabulous! It's just so camp! I know a lot of the things in the news aren't true, but that's something I looked at and thought, 'I hope that's true!'"

The former Spice Girl told Jo Whiley on Radio 1 today that she gets up early every morning to do her three children's outstanding homework.

She said: "I get up really early, about 7am, so I can get breakfast ready for the kids, and so I can do the last little bits of the kids' homework."

The style icon is promoting her fashion tips bible That Extra Half An Inch.

Meanwhile, Victoria's fledgling friendship with Katie Holmes is already starting to crack after a series of rows over TomKat's wedding. The NBFs (that’s New Best Friends) have been joined at the hip recently.
Victoria flew Katie to Paris so they could spend Paris Fashion Week together last month, and Posh has become unofficial wedding adviser for Katie's marriage to Tom Cruise in Italy next month.

Posh said of her time in Paris: "I had so much fun with [Katie]. She is very tall though — I did feel like a bit of a midget."

But the love-fest may have come to a dramatic halt over a couple of petty disagreements between fashionista Vic, 32, and actress Katie, 27.

A close pal tells us Katie isn't best pleased after super-skinny Victoria suggested she shed a few more pounds before her big day. Posh, who has been plagued by rumours of eating disorders (which she strenuously denies), wants to help the actress get in tip-top shape for her nuptials.

We're told: "Victoria didn't mean any harm, she just wanted to help Katie look her best for her big day. She offered to share her diet secrets but Katie immediately got defensive, saying she didn't need any advice.

"Katie is really proud of the weight she's managed to lose since giving birth to Suri in April and she doesn’t think she has to lose any more."

Victoria also recommended Katie take her man to a barber's to get his floppy mop chopped before 18 November, when the couple will marry at a secret location.

The pal went on: "Vic pointed out that Katie will have to live with his hair in the wedding photos for the rest of her life. She recommended Katie ask Tom to get a new, fashionable haircut like David."

Guest

Posh: I wanna be a lady

October 31, 2006

VICTORIA Beckham yesterday revealed how she dreams of being Lady Posh.

She said she would “love” to be Lady Beckham if former England captain David was ever knighted. “It would be fabulous. It’s just so camp!”

The former Spice Girl, 32, was greeted by a 3,000-strong crowd last night as she launched her new style book in London’s Oxford Street.

She smashed all records at Selfridges by signing and selling out 800 copies of That Extra Half An Inch.

Guest

Posh: I'm a real shorty Spice

October 30, 2006

VICTORIA Beckham has admitted her new best friend Katie Holmes makes her feel like a MIDGET.

Posh, who is 5ft 6ins, was dwarfed by the 5ft 9ins actress in Paris this month.

To make things worse, Katie wore heels for their trips to fashion shows. Ex-Spice Girl Victoria, 32, said: “I had so much fun in Paris with her.

“She is very tall though — I did feel like a bit of a midget!”

Victoria’s husband David Beckham, 31, and Katie’s fiancé Tom Cruise, 44, are pals.

Posh is said to be helping Katie, 27, prepare for her November 18 wedding in Italy — when the bride will even tower over the 5ft 7ins GROOM — as seen in our mock-up.

Victoria insists she is enjoying Spain, saying David is NOT disillusioned at Real Madrid. She tells GMTV today: “David is happy with his football and I’ve a nice circle of friends.”

BECKS loves buying Posh sexy bras and knickers, and she told a magazine: “He has very good taste.”

Guest

LIFE STYLE EXTRA (UK) - Victoria Beckham lies to her children - by telling them she is still in the Spice Girls.

The former pop singer - who is married to Real Madrid footballer David Beckham - has revealed her three sons, Brooklyn, seven, Romeo, four and one-year-old Cruz, had no idea what her job was before becoming a mother so she showed them 'Spice Girls: The Movie'.

However, Victoria - better known as Posh Spice - didn't have the heart to tell her children the band no longer existed when they asked her about the group.

She revealed in an interview with Britain's Radio 1: "I showed the kids 'Spice Girls: The Movie' the other day, because being in Spain it's all about football and all about daddy, and the kids said, 'Mummy what did you actually do?'

"So I put on the movie, and they loved it and it was on heavy rotation. Then one day I had been out to work and when I came home Romeo came running up to me and said, 'Mummy, have you been working with the Spice Girls?'

And I couldn't let him down, so I said, 'Yeah, mummy has been working with the Spice Girls'. And he said, 'Have you been driving that bus mummy?'"

Despite her white lie, Victoria has ruled out a possible Spice Girls reunion with her former bandmates, Mel C, Mel B, Emma Bunton and Geri Halliwell.

She explained: "I'm not sure that's going to happen we are all doing our own thing now. I'm not sure if I'm up for jumping around on stage any more, I don't think there will be a reunion."

Guest

Posh's hotel gets Cristal clear list of demands

She has been pictured shopping at Oxfam - but it seems Victoria Beckham still has a taste for the grander things in life.

When the former Spice Girl announced she and her husband were checking into the ultra-chic Hempel Hotel in Bayswater, staff were handed a formidable list of requirements.

They spent about £20,000 in an effort to make Victoria happy.

Her exacting demands included £350 of cakes from a local patisserie, ultrathick towels and extra dressing gowns and £1,000 of smart Jo Malone bath scents, plus a full set of Spanish newspapers so her husband could read reports from football matches in is home league.

Anxious staff decorated the hotel's £1,500-a night Beluga suite with £5,000 of orchids, six silver platters of fresh tropical fruit, and lit it with 60 candles.

Another £5,000 was spent flying in Italian linen sheets by designer Francesco Calvidini.

A butler was put on standby to look after the couple during their twoday stay at the west London hotel.

They were also offered a chauffeur-driven Porsche Cayenne should they need to venture out.

At one point, five porters were dispatched to a patisserie, where they emptied its shelves.

But still there was one thing missing from the Beckham’s suite: Cristal champagne.

A source at the Hempel said: "Victoria arrived here with David on Sunday afternoon. We made a massive effort to get ready for them - in total we must have spent around £20,000 preparing for their arrival."

"Victoria came here to promote her book - she did a series of interviews in her suite. We did everything we could to get it ready. But she was not happy with champagne on ice in her suite - we had stocked it with Ruinart champagne and she insisted on Cristal."

"She was quite clear that she and David were not happy with anything but Cristal."

Guest

She's on a mission for Pride of Britain

VICTORIA Beckham loves to bag a bargain - but she popped into an Oxfam shop because SHE was handing out the goodies.

Posh was in West London, to tell Oxfam's Joe Mitty he had won a Daily Mirror Pride of Britain award. Joe, 87, said: "I can't believe it. I'm honoured."

Joe opened the first Oxfam shop in in 1949 and helped make the chain a huge charity success.

He will be at The Mirror's Tesco-sponsored awards in London on Tuesday - with Prince Charles, Tony Blair, Kylie, Rod Stewart, Simon Cowell, Girls Aloud and Take That. It will be screened on ITV1.

Victoria shopping:
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/pages/...age_id=296091&in_page_id=1055

Guest

VICTORIA Beckham has confessed that her son Romeo is battling epilepsy, the News of the World can reveal.

Posh and Becks were "devastated" when specialists confirmed that their four-year-old middle child has the brain condition which causes violent fits.

Sufferers can die during an attack and many have to take medication for the rest of their lives.

Posh has revealed that she and David are now terrified flash photos will spark an epileptic fit that could kill him.

The world's most-photographed celebrity family are desperate to protect little Romeo from fans and paparazzi eager to get a snap.

The lad, who turned four just five weeks ago, has been warned to avoid flashing lights known to cause potentially-fatal seizures.

The frightened youngster reacted violently after being photographed at Heathrow last Saturday as he returned to Britain from Madrid with Posh and brothers Brooklyn, seven, and Cruz, one.

Initially he shielded his eyes against the flashes as his mother pushed him through the terminal building in his buggy and out to a waiting car.

He then started screaming in terror and lashing out with his legs as one photographer pressed his camera inside the car and started flashing.

Only then did horrified Posh, 32, reveal the truth about brave Romeo's dangerous condition.

She pulled her blond-headed son to her, shielded him from the lights and yelled: "Leave him alone.

"He's got epilepsy. All that flashing will start an epileptic fit. You can't do that!"

Kevin Smith — owner of Splash news, the agency that took the shot —said: "No picture is worth putting a child's life in danger.

"Now that we know Romeo has epilepsy I will not be authorising any of my photographers to take flash pictures of him. I think this is absolutely the right thing to do and I hope other agencies follow suit."

And we at the News of the World are only printing the shocking picture — taken BEFORE the facts were known — to persuade fans and the world's press to act responsibly.

The frightening incident came soon after specialists told the couple that Romeo's condition was more serious than first feared and that he had epilepsy.

Romeo has endured a series of frightening fits and has been rushed to hospital four times in three years.

Intially it was thought his attacks were simply febrile convulsions, common in young children running a high temperature.

But when the fits continued with no clear explanation he was tested for epilepsy, which has now been confirmed.

A close friend of Posh and Real Madrid star Becks said: "They have told friends the situation. While it's heartbreaking, he is being brave.

"They are devastated — worried sick about Romeo. He is on medication to control the seizures but obviously things like flashing lights can trigger one at any time.

"They can only hope the medication limits the number of fits he suffers to a minimum and he can enjoy as normal a life as possible. Epilepsy affects a great number of people and many grow out of it. They are just praying Romeo gets better."

A friend of Victoria's said of the Heathrow drama: "Romeo was very distressed. He hates flashes going off because he knows what they can do to him.

"Normally he just shields his eyes but this was right in his face. There was nowhere for them to go.

"Victoria was really scared and tried to shield him. She was furious. That's why she yelled out — anything to make them stop and think about what they're doing to him."

Flash photography is one of the trigger factors for epileptic seizures. In extreme cases attacks can be fatal. News of the World doctor Hilary Jones said: "We do not know how seriously the condition affects Romeo but if he is having grand mals — which cause the sufferer to thrash about and bite their tongue — it can cause a fatality.

"It is extremely rare but the Beckhams will not want to expose him to that sort of risk. The paparazzi — and the fans — should take care when they're around Romeo."

Victoria has been seeking advice from celebrity pal Elton John, who also suffers from the condition. He is godfather to little Romeo and his older brother Brooklyn.

The pal added: "Elton has been a tower of strength for the Beckhams since they found out the news. He's been able to tell them how it affected him and how to cope."

Other famous sufferers of epilepsy include Julius Caesar, Vincent van Gogh, Sir Winston Churchill, Napoleon, actor Richard Burton and comic Rik Mayall.

Plucky Romeo was first rushed to Princess Alexandria Hospital in Harlow, Essex, in October 2003, aged just one, after suffering frightening convulsions.

He had a high temperature and his face had turned blue. He was kept in overnight for observation.

Just weeks before he had two stitches in his forehead after falling on an escalator in Madrid.

Then in July last year he was taken to hospital again after suffering similar convulsions.

In October Romeo was back in hospital twice in four days in Madrid after collapsing again.

Former England skipper David, 31, postponed plans to fly off for a World Cup qualifier against Austria to be at his son's bedside.

Romeo was first taken to the La Paz hospital for two hours before his parents were allowed to take him home.

But four days later the Beckhams rushed him to the Ruber International Hospital in Madrid where he was detained for four days for extensive tests.

The Beckhams have had their share of medical scares with their sons. Brooklyn had a hernia operation at just six weeks old.

Last night a spokesman for the Beckhams said: "We can't comment on any medical matters."

But a friend of the couple added: "It's been a harrowing period for Victoria and David. They are desperately worried about their son."

Guest

Los Angeles Galaxy keen to make Beckham a star in the US

Los Angeles Galaxy confirmed their interest in signing former England skipper David Beckham.

Sportsmail revealed last week (Oct 2

that LA Galaxy owner Philip Anschutz, who has a stake in the former England captain's LA soccer school, is behind the multi-million move to sign Beckham.

Anschutz is preparing to sidestep salary cap rules in the MLS by sponsoring Beckham through his company AEG and although formal talks have yet to take place, the Real Madrid midfielder is tempted by a move to Hollywood.

LA Galaxy chief Alexi Lalas admitted: 'There are thousands of clubs out there that would love to have a player of his calibre and the Los Angeles Galaxy is certainly one of them.

'For many people, the Los Angeles Galaxy are looked upon as the jewel of the MLS. We play in the best stadium, we have had incredible success over the history of the league and we have had great individual players and great teams.

Signing players of Beckham's stature would be a wonderful step in the right direcion, not just for Galaxy but for soccer in America.'

Beckham's contract at Real Madrid expires at the end of the season and although he has held talks about a new deal, it appears increasingly unlikely that he will stay in Spain.

Several English clubs, as well as Scottish champions Celtic, have shown their hand but it is understood American is currently his preferred destination.

Although Beckham's management team are not permitted to negotiate with LA Galaxy until January, the American's are determined to land the former Manchester United midfielder.

Anschutz has a close relationship with the Beckham camp and he believes his film star looks and the worldwide appeal of his life with his wife Posh Spice will be best suited to Hollywood.

Guest

Posh's bob is all the fashion with US celebrities

Her previous attempts to break into the US celebrity circuit have been limited to say the least.

But having replaced her high maintenance hair extensions with a trendy new style, Victoria Beckham is finally making inroads.

Because, in an apparent nod to the 32-year-old former Spice Girl, both Britney Spears and Desperate Housewives star Eva Longoria have had 'Pobs' - Posh bobs.

Arriving at the LA premiere of Harsh Times, Miss Longoria, who plays scheming housewife Gabrielle Solis in the cult American show, revealed her new-look shiny tresses.

Although the 31-year-old actress has not actually gone the whole hog and had her long, brunette locks cut off, she had pulled it up into an elaborate loose bun - thus giving the impression of a bob.

Wearing an elegant chocolate brown satin gown, the petite star was, from a distance, a spitting image of Hertfordshire-born Mrs Beckham.

Miss Spears, meanwhile, revealed a whole new look of her own.

Making a surprise appearance on the Late Show With David Letterman, she showed off a short blonde head of hair.

Teamed with a new slimline physique following the birth of her second child earlier this year, the singer's sleek hairstyle is virtually identical to that of Mrs Beckham.

With both cuts tapering around the neckline and lengthening at the front, only Miss Spears' wispy fringe set the two styles apart.

It remains to be seen whether mother-of-three Mrs Beckham's once unique interpretation of the classic bob - dubbed the 'Pob' in ode to her Spice Girl nickname - will also be copied by her new American best friend, Katie Holmes.

The singer-turned-self-proclaimed-style-guru first revealed her new hair three months ago.

She was persuaded to go for the chop by top fashion photographer Thiemo Sander during a magazine photo shoot.

Her personal hairstylist, Ben Cooke, carried out the transformation at his Chelsea salon.

Guest

Posh's charity shop visit sparks huge surge in takings

The country's most successful Oxfam shop has been revealed as the Kensington High Street store, which rakes in just under £500,000 a year.

The charity shop is so popular that bargain hunters have to wait for a week to get their hands on clothes from the window, and queue outside when the display changes.

The news comes a week after Victoria Beckham was photographed buying a black-and-white polka-dot Warehouse dress in the Notting Hill branch - the 10th most successful store in the capital.

Since then, the number of visitors to that shop has increased threefold, and there has been a 70 per cent increase in the number of donations.

Oxfam expects the 'Posh effect' to translate into a bumper sales month. Diane O'Brien, area manager for West London, said: "Certainly if there is something in the papers saying Victoria Beckham bought a dress in Oxfam it renews people's interest in the shop.

"But the High Street Kensington shop is even more successful because of its huge footfall. It is open every day and it's a big shop. A lot of tourists go to Kensington to see the sights and they come in to Oxfam as well."

Store manager Jo Rodgers, who has 33 volunteers in her Kensington outlet, said: "There's always a little queue outside. Once, we had £20,000 worth of Harvey Nichols end-of-line stock, it is a wonderful feeling when you sell something."

Nearly 80 per cent of turnover goes to charity.

Guest

Posh's fury at skinny celebs website

09/11/06

VICTORIA Beckham is leading the charge to scupper a website that ridicules the eating habits of celebs.

Or perhaps that should be non-eating – as that seems to be the beef that most of the super skinnies have with the site, celebrities-eating.com

The satirical website draws simple pleasure from showing pictures of A-listers caught stuffing their faces.

But a recent idea to do a Solids Watch Diary has gone down like a round of toast and mash at a Hollywood dinner party.

The feature was intended to keep tabs on infamously spindly luminaries and the rare occasions that they’re spotted eating grub.

But Posh, 32, thinks it’s a terribly intrusive idea and has called her fellow size zeroes to arms to get the site to ditch the idea.

A source told us: "While celebs like Nicole Richie have responded to the interest in their eating habits by posing up with fat-laden grub, Victoria has gone on the offensive. She doesn’t see the point in pretending to eat McDonald’s to convince people that she enjoys a meal.

"Her point is that she’s a fashion icon, so why on earth would she be pictured eating in public?

"Victoria wasn’t brought up to be so coarse and she’s discussed this silly site with friends like Elizabeth Hurley.

"They’ve written to the, er, brains behind it to ask them to take a more responsible approach to illustrating eating habits.

"Victoria is said to have contacted Nicole Richie because she’s so worried about the poor girl being pictured with food props. She hopes this can be settled sensibly."

Posh, who has been promoting her new book That Extra Half An Inch, has proved to be the most elusive quarry on the website.

Since speculation about the tiny frame of Richie, 25, she has been constantly pictured with fast food.

Hurley, 41, was snapped neither eating nor contemplating a meal but instead checking a prize hog at a country fete.

Guest

Sloshed Spice: Victoria needs someone to lean on while out without David

Take one footballer's wife. Add lashings of champagne. And four-inch stilettos. The result, as these pictures show, is a very wobbly Victoria Beckham.

Anyone else who had just spent four hours in a restaurant might at least have managed to line their stomach a little.

But Mrs Beckham, 32, known for her barely-there figure, is probably rather accomplished at pushing food around her plate.

Accompanied by two female friends, the mother of three arrived at the Nobu Berkeley.

After walking inside, she was whisked through the bar area and into the upstairs restaurant. It was more than four hours later that she tottered out, looking more than a little 'tired and emotional'.

Her ash grey Giambattista Valli dress, which had a distinct suggestion of sackcloth about it, would obviously make just as good an outfit for the remorseful morning after.

Mrs Beckham managed to make the 30 paces to her Maserati, which had been issued with a parking ticket. Undeterred, she grinned, got herself inside and was driven back to her hotel.

This is not the first time the former Spice Girl, in London to discuss plans for the spring/summer collection of her sunglasses range, has emerged from Nobu looking a little less polished than usual.

Three months ago she enjoyed a raucous night out with Gordon Ramsay and his wife Tana.

Her husband David Beckham couldn't make it to either event. He was on duty with his football team, Real Madrid.

Guest

Beckhams' gift for blind child

November 11, 2006

BLIND Grace Utting, seven, is using special computer equipment — thanks to a £10,000 donation by Victoria and David Beckham.

They were contacted by charity workers. Grace’s mum Clair, 32, of Ipswich, Suffolk, said: “We are very grateful.”

Guest

I fear for my David

VICTORIA Beckham fears husband David will struggle to cope when his football career ends.

The former Spice Girl has revealed her concern over how he will fill his time when no longer a soccer superstar.

But Victoria, 32, claims that - unlike Becks - she has already come to terms with the prospect of life out of the public eye.

She said: "I accepted it a long time ago. It doesn't bother me. But I think it will be more difficult for David, because he has a more active life because of his career.

"When I got married, I stopped singing in order to be a mother. David has a responsibility with his footballing career."

And Becks himself accepts that he will find it hard to adapt to life without football.

He said: "Of course it's going to be difficult to find something like football to fill my life with.

"But when that moment comes I will be able to do many of the things I would love to do now but don't have the time to do."

The couple admitted their fears about the future in an interview with a Spanish magazine.

In it Victoria claims she is a "girl next door" who is loved for being down-to-earth and "ordinary looking".

Posh also said the public believes the Real Madrid star is a loyal and loving husband, despite claims of his infidelity.

Asked why the couple were so popular, Victoria said: "I sincerely believe we are very authentic and genuine people."

Posh added: "I have never wanted to be a model. I am a normal woman, ordinary looking, who has had a lot of luck.

"There is also the fact that neither David nor I have allowed ourselves to be carried away by our fame."

This will come as a huge surprise to millions of fans used to seeing them hanging out with a host of A-list celebrities.

They have sprawling mansions in Hertfordshire, Madrid, and France and a string of supercars worth more than £1million.

But Victoria's insistence that they were down-to-earth was backed up by David, who said: "I'm sure one of the best virtues I have is that I love being with people and sharing my experiences...

"That helps people see me as a human being and not just as an advertising brand."

Guest

Becks quits

12/11/06

DAVID BECKHAM will let his Real Madrid contract run out and quit the Spanish giants on a free transfer in the summer.

The deposed England captain will then consider his options and the dream scenario for Becks would be a return to Manchester United.

But, with that highly unlikely following the breakdown in his relationship with United boss Sir Alex Ferguson, Beckham would consider any Premiership options.

But if nothing appeals to Beckham, 31, he is likely to end his career in America with LA Galaxy.

The only way Beckham would consider remaining in Madrid, where there is a new two-year contract on the table, would be if he regained his first-team place.

But new Real boss Fabio Capello has made it clear that he sees Beckham as a squad player by regularly naming him as a substitute.

Beckham doesn’t want to end his playing days on the bench and close friends insist his dream move would be a return to Old Trafford.

The ex-United midfielder hopes Fergie would consider bringing him back if he was available on a free but the United boss is unlikely to turn back the clock.

Spurs boss Martin Jol has ruled out making a move for the midfielder, two weeks after Arsene Wenger blocked any possibility of a move to Arsenal.

Dutchman Jol said: “Of course I have a lot of respect for David Beckham but I’ve never said I want to sign him.

“We are fine here as it is. We already have Aaron Lennon. Beckham is a non-runner.”

Spurs are confident of snatching NAC Breda’s Leonardo Vitor Santiago in January – provided they can secure a work permit.

The Brazilian left-winger, 23, also linked with Arsenal and Wigan, is out of contract in the summer and his club want to cash in now.

Jol, a big fan of wing play, is favourite to win the race

Guest

Walker's Suzi gets Posh trip

VICTORIA Beckham has invited the heartbroken wife of love rat ex-England goalkeeper Ian Walker to stay with her and David in Madrid.

Suzi Walker, 33, got a phone call from Posh, 32, when it was revealed her estranged hubby had bedded a busty blonde dancer in Las Vegas.

The Bolton stopper even flew Samantha Thurman to the UK for more romps last week.

Fearing Suzi would be lonely in her six-bedroom home in Cobham, Surrey, Victoria asked ex-England skipper Becks if she could visit.

A pal of Suzi, who has an eight-year-old daughter with Walker, said: “David and Victoria have been brilliant.

“They’ve been through some tough times too and Victoria was genuinely concerned.”

Guest

POSH LOOKS SICK

Girls Aloud Sarah blasts Victoria's 'anorexic' look

VICTORIA Beckham has been branded "sick" and "anorexic-looking" by Girls Aloud star Sarah Harding in an amazing attack on her pencil-slim figure.

The singer, 24, ridiculed Posh for being skinny enough to dress in kids' clothes and suggested husband David must find her slender body a turn-off.

Sarah, a healthy size 10, said: "I feel for Victoria. She's always in the press and wears child sizes even though she's a grown woman. It's sick. Have some food."

She went on: "Victoria Beckham's a very glamorous lady - she's a fashion icon - but I think she's ill.

"She could certainly afford to eat a chip but she'd probably have one and want the plateful."

And outspoken Sarah claimed Becks, 31, could not possibly find the mum-of-three's size 4 figure attractive.

She said: "What's sexy about being straight up and down and skinny? David can't like it. The female body should be an hourglass figure, not anorexic-looking."

Single Sarah, whose curves have won her a deal as the new face and body of Ultimo lingerie, also condemned the craze among female stars to starve themselves thin.

She stormed: "There aren't any curves in the celebrity world at the moment. It's disgusting, unhealthy and wrong. I understand there are naturally skinny people out there, but there are also girls who just don't eat."

And she told Closer magazine: "You can't crash-diet to achieve a size that your body is not meant to be. You can get brittle bones, anorexia and rotten teeth and it messes up your whole body."

But a pal of Posh, 32, hit back: "Victoria doesn't read those magazines. As far as I'm aware there's no unpleasantness between them. It's just celebrity tittle-tattle."

Meanwhile, Sarah also told how bandmate Cheryl Tweedy is desperate to start a family with husband Ashley Cole Sarah revealed: "She's getting broody.

She told us she wants a baby so we can all help her out. It would be so exciting."

Last night a band spokesman claimed her outburst was not aimed at Posh but at thin stars "in general".

He said: "She made some flippant comment about Victoria which has been taken out of context."

'Victoria's an icon but I think she's ill.. anorexic. It's not sexy. David can't like that'

Guest

Becks Cruising for a bruising

By VIRGINIA WHEELER
November 18, 2006

DAVID Beckham’s football future appears to hang in the balance today — after he DEFIED his boss and jetted to Tom Cruise’s glitzy wedding.

Becks and wife Victoria landed in Rome yesterday ahead of Tom and sweetheart Katie Holmes, who are getting hitched in a nearby castle.

Just before Posh and Becks arrived, Real Madrid manager Fabio Capello said he had ordered the star to remain in Spain.

Despite Becks, 31, being sidelined with a knee injury, no-nonsense Capello told a news conference: “David has to stay to work this weekend.”

Asked if £100,000-a-week Beckham would miss the wedding of the year today, he snapped: “That’s not my problem.”

Becks and Posh, 32, touched down at 1.30pm and a limo whisked them to their hotel.

They have been close to Cruise, 44, and Katie, 27, for nearly two years.

Last night Posh dazzled in a pink ra-ra skirt and see-through top as she left with her hubby for a pre-wedding party.

Becks, who told pals he was “desperate” to attend the wedding in nearby Bracciano, is said to have been frustrated with Capello after starting just four games this season.

Yesterday a Real spokesman tried to play down the clash by insisting Becks HAD been told he could fly out for a few hours.

However it was rumoured this permission did NOT come from Capello.

A spokesman for Becks insisted he was making “only a whistle-stop tour” and, after a dinner in Cruise’s honour, would return to Madrid to see the physio and watch his team-mates take on Racing Santander before possibly flying back out.

What is happening in Madrid mirrors his final days at Manchester United when he annoyed Sir Alex Ferguson by refusing to turn his back on the celebrity circus.

In the same way he has sounded the death knell on his Real Madrid career this weekend.

Guest

Becks Cruises to a Fab meeting

November 20, 2006

DAVID BECKHAM has met Real Madrid boss Fabio Capello to sort out the confusion over his trip to Tom Cruise’s wedding.

Becks, 31, had club permission to spend Friday night in Rome but Capello did not know about it.

The pair spoke on Saturday night and seem to have resolved the issue. A Real insider said: “Capello rarely talks to players on an individual basis.

“But he wanted to talk to Beckham to show him there is no difficulty in their relationship and that he is being treated like all the other players.

“There was a lot of confusion after the coach said Beckham had to stay in Madrid and miss the wedding. But Capello has drawn a line under the incident.

“It is in the past and will not affect Beckham’s chances of playing.”

Becks obeyed club orders to return from Rome on Saturday morning for treatment on a knee injury and then watched Real beat Racing Santander 3-1.

Guest

Beckham to coach Cruise lad

November 22, 2006

DAVID Beckham will give soccer lessons to Tom Cruise’s kids — as a wedding present to his film star pal.

Connor, 11, and Isabella, 13, worship the Real Madrid ace.

A source for Victoria Beckham — who was at Tom’s wedding to Katie Holmes — said: “David has lots of tricks to show. The kids will have a great time.”

Tom, 44, and Katie, 27, are honeymooning in the Maldives.

Guest

Becks in boost for battling child

November 23, 2006

DAVID and Victoria Beckham have stepped in to help a sick 13-year-old soccer fan — after hearing he is battling his FOURTH brain tumour.

They have paid an estimated £3,000 for a joystick-controlled wheelchair for brave Oliver Rycraft after his physiotherapist told them of his plight.

Oliver’s mum Debbie, 39, was stunned when Posh’s mum Jackie rang her at home in Mansfield Woodhouse, Notts, to break the news.

Debbie said yesterday: “I thought it was a joke. When it had sunk in I just sobbed ‘Thank you’.”

Oliver has already defied three brain tumours in six years.

Doctors discovered the latest one earlier this year.

He said: “I might be a Chelsea fan, but I think David Beckham is great.

“The wheelchair helps me to get around and be independent.”

A spokesman for the Beckhams said: “They like to help where they can, but they don’t comment on these things.”

Guest

Posh hits bottom in best legs poll

Kelly Brook's curvy physique catapults her to the top of the "best legs" chart. But svelte supermodel Kate Moss takes second place followed by US singer Beyonce.

Next are Hollywood actress Cameron Diaz, former OC star Mischa Barton and party girl Paris Hilton. Australian supermodel Elle Macpherson, 43, flies the flag for the more mature woman in seventh place.

Others in the "best legs" list include Dirrty star Christina Aguilera, Wayne Rooney's fiancee Coleen McLoughlin and Girls Aloud star Cheryl Cole.

The survey of over 3000 men and women was conducted for Lambrini, which is searching for the sexiest legs for a new fashion campaign with Pretty Polly.

Best Legs
1. Kelly Brook
2. Kate Moss
3. Beyonce
4. Cameron Diaz
5. Mischa Barton
6. Paris Hilton
7. Elle Macpherson
8. Christina Aguilera
9. Coleen McLoughlin
10. Cheryl Cole

Worst Legs
1. Victoria Beckham
2. Nicole Richie
3. Jade Goody
4. Nikki Grahame (Big Brother)
5. Tara Palmer-Tomkinson
6. Jennie McAlpine (Fizz, Coronation Street)
7. Nadine Coyle
8. Sarah Dunn (Mandy Hutchinson, Hollyoaks)
9. Madonna
10. Teri Hatcher

Guest

Posh Snubbed by Paparazzi

Victoria Beckham was snubbed by paparazzi after she tried to control pictures taken of her at an awards ceremony.

Prior to the Bambi arts awards, held in Germany, the former Spice Girl handed out an agreement for photographers to sign which stated she wanted copies of all the snaps and the ability to use them for promotional purposes.

The document limited the number of pictures that could be published of Victoria's gold embroidered Osaka Hilton gown.

It also restricted the snappers from revealing any "confidential information" they might learn about her during the ceremony.

The Associated Press (AP), Reuters and two German photo agencies rejected the agreement, so in desperation organisers drew up a separate agreement allowing them to cover the event as long as they promised only to take photos of Victoria on the red carpet.

AP chose to snub the event altogether while the other photographers agreed but refused to photograph Victoria in protest.

http://www.femalefirst.co.uk

Guest

Posh spotted house-hunting next door to the Cruises

Stalker alert! Victoria Beckham has been spotted house-hunting in Hollywood next door to...you guessed it, her NBF Katie Holmes.

Uber-skinny Posh, 32, has wanted to move to America to expand her growing fashion empire for a while but befriending Katie and her hubby Tom Cruise has propelled the hunt into overdrive.

Vic took to the Hollywood Hills in a sexy black number yesterday to view three properties. The first house she looked at was formerly owned by Chris Evans and Billie Piper and Lionel Richie.

She then went on to see a house overlooking the San Fernando Valley, but spent only 10 minutes looking around before heading off to a house three doors down from TomKat — and we’re told she already has her heart set on it.

But we do have to wonder if Posh’s massive sunglasses were impairing her vision as this boxy yellow spread doesn’t exactly shout "I’m a millionaire WAG" to us.

www.dailymail.co.uk

Guest

Posh spotted house-hunting next door to the Cruises

Since being introduced to each other they have been virtually inseparable.

So it was only natural that Victoria Beckham would be keen to view properties close to new best friend Katie Holmes while househunting in Los Angeles.

The former Spice Girl was spotted looking at a mansion only five doors from where Miss Holmes and her husband Tom Cruise live.

Mrs Beckham spent half an hour being shown around the £7.5million property, which is hidden from view by huge gates.

Her househunt will fuel speculation that her husband David is to quit Spain when his Real Madrid contract runs out at the end of the season.

He has said he would like to end his playing career in America, where he recently set up a football academy. His wife meanwhile is trying to raise her international profile and is due to make her debut as a fashion guru on U.S. television.

She and Miss Holmes were introduced by Cruise, who got to know the Beckhams because of his love of football.

In the past year the two women have bonded, with Miss Holmes, 27, turning to the mother of three for advice during her pregnancy with Suri.

On Sunday Mrs Beckham, 32, spent several hours househunting in LA.

The first property she visited once belonged to Chris Evans and Billie Piper - and before them Lionel Richie - and is on sale for £7.5million.

The Spanish-style, one-storey mansion has ocean and city views, five bedrooms and six bathrooms. It also has a waterfall and a spa with spectacular views. The lounge includes a screening room and entertainment suite.

Next stop was a £4million home which has views of the city, a huge swimming pool and a living area with glass walls.

The third property she looked at was not publicly listed with an agent but would be worth £7million-plus. It is only five doors from the Cruises, who have just returned from their honeymoon in the Maldives.

Guest

Katie welcomes Victoria to the neighbourhood

Katie Holmes has welcomed her new best friend Victoria Beckham to Los Angeles after Posh was spotted house-hunting in the area.

Tom Cruise's bride invited Posh to the exclusive Hollywood club Sunset Marquis, where she treated her to afternoon tea and insider gossip.

Katie, who received baby advice from Victoria during her pregnancy, also took along her eight-month-old daughter, Suri.

Now it was time for Katie, 27, to return the favour by giving Posh information of interest to anyone viewing properties in the area.

Also in tow was a waiter carrying a tray of drinks including a flask of tea, mineral water and champagne.

The get-together came amid mounting speculation that Tom Cruise, 44, may try to interest the Beckhams in scientology.

The former Spice Girl has been house-hunting in Los Angeles. One of those she viewed, a £7.5 million estate, is only five doors away from Mr and Mrs Cruise.

The news has fuelled reports that David Beckham may be about to quit Spain for the United States when his Real Madrid contract runs out at the end of the season.

He has said he would like to end his playing career in America, where he has set up a football academy.

The LA property, which has seven bedrooms and seven bathrooms, was one of three viewed by Victoria, 32, on Sunday. It boasts a separate guest house, tennis court, huge pool, family room, media room and a sensational kitchen.

Another benefit for the couple is that it is hidden from view by huge gates and a long drive.

Posh also looked at a Spanish-style mansion once belonging to Chris Evans and Billie Piper.

Also on the market for £7.5million, it has ocean views, five bedrooms, six bathrooms and a waterfall. The third property, with views of the city and glass walls, was a rather more modest £4 million.

The Beckhams were among several A-lister guests invited to the TomKat wedding at a castle in Italy last month.

Cruise got to know the couple through his love of soccer, and the two wives have since become friends.

Guest

Beckham tops rich list

David Beckham's value on the field of play may be on the wane, but the former England skipper remains peerless when it comes to football's high earners.

According to a survey of British footballers and foreign imports plying their trade in the Premiership, Beckham remains by far the games' richest exponent.

Despite slipping down the pecking order at Real Madrid this season, Beckham tops the rich list poll with a figure of £87million, more than twice that of second-placed Michael Owen who is said to be worth £32m.

Beckham's personal fortune is down to his £4.4m a year contract with Real, which expires in the summer, along with income from advertising contracts with the likes of Gillette, Adidas and Pepsi. And despite losing lucrative deals with Vodafone and Police sunglasses, Beckham still found enough cash to pay himself a £19m salary out of the coffers of his company, Footwork Productions Ltd, last year.

Robbie Fowler, like Beckham, may be entering the twilight of his footballing career, but shrewd investments in the property market along with his Liverpool pay packet see the former England striker complete the top three with a £28m nest egg.

Chelsea's Andriy Shevchenko is the top foreign earner playing in England in seventh place, his £121,000-a-week deal at Stamford Bridge helping to swell his wealth to £22m, £1m ahead of Arsenal's Thierry Henry.

Another Chelsea summer import, Michael Ballack, completes the top 10 with with a relatively modest figure of £18m despite his £130,000-a-week deal.

The survey, in the current issue of FourFourTwo magazine (also highlights the amount of foreign money pouring into the Premiership, with overseas investors worth a staggering total of £13 billion.

That figure is set to touch the £20 billion mark should Dubai's billionaire ruler Sheik Mohammed complete his £450m takeover of Liverpool in the New Year.

But the wealthy Arab would have to settle for second place behind Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich, whose own dealings in the world of oil see him top the list of wealthiest investors with a £10.8 billion fortune.

American investors Malcom Glazer and Randy Lerner come in fourth and seventh respectively in the poll of investors. Manchester United owner Glazer, 78, is said to be worth a wallet-bulging £1.05 billion while Villa's new Stateside sugar-daddy has a healthy £789m in the bank.

FourFourTwo Football Rich List Top Ten

1. Roman Abramovich, Chelsea, £10.8bn 2. Joe Lewis, Tottenham, £2.1bn 3. Dermot Desmond, Celtic, £1.25bn 4. Malcolm Glazer, Man Utd, £1.05bn 5. Trevor Hemmings, Charlton and Preston NE, £900m 6. Sir Alan Sugar, Tottenham, £790m 7. Randy Lerner, Aston Villa, £789m 8. David Murray, Rangers, £650m 9. Simon Keswick & family, Cheltenham Town, £644m 10. David Sullivan, Birmingham City, £595m

Top Ten Players

1. David Beckham, Real Madrid, £87m 2. Michael Owen, Newcastle Utd, £32m 3. Robbie Fowler, Liverpool, £28m 4. Sol Campbell, Portsmouth, £27m 5. Rio Ferdinand, Man Utd, £22m 6. Ryan Giggs, Man Utd, £22m 7. Andriy Shevchenko, Chelsea, £22m 8. Thierry Henry, Arsenal, £21m 9. Wayne Rooney, Man Utd, £20m 10. Michael Ballack, Chelsea, £18m

Guest

Did Posh buy Hepburn's £410,000 dress?

The elegant black cocktail dress famously worn by Audrey Hepburn in the movie Breakfast at Tiffany's has sold for a record £410,000.

And there's now speculation that it has been bought by Victoria Beckham or Coleen McLoughlin -both avid fans of the late actress.

After frenzied bidding at Christie's auction house in London, the dress went to an anonymous telephone buyer for almost six times its estimate, the most ever paid for a gown from a film.

In the 1961 movie of Truman Capote's book, Miss Hepburn is seen in the dress as she emerges from a cab on to New York's Fifth Avenue in the early morning after an all-night date.

Eating a snack breakfast from a paper bag, she peers wistfully into the window of Tiffany's. She plays Holly Golightly, the flighty heroine who becomes romantically interested in her new male neighbour.

The dress - Size 6, with a 24in waist - was designed by Hubert de Givenchy and came with long black gloves and a huge pearl choker.

Mrs Beckham, who has a 23in waist, is said to already own one of Miss Hepburn's diamond chokers. Miss McLoughlin, meanwhile, has a 'beauty room' in the mansion that she shares with her fiancee Wayne Rooney decorated in homage to the Hollywood star.

Mrs Beckham's spokesman said last night: "I have no idea if she's been involved in the bidding." Christie's would not reveal the buyer, but it is thought to be someone living in Europe.

Mr de Givenchy donated the dress to Dominic Lapierre and his wife to raise money for their charity City of Joy Aid, which helps India's poor.

Mr Lapierre said: "I am absolutely dumbfounded to believe that a piece of cloth which belonged to such a magical actress will now enable me to buy bricks and cement to put the most destitute children in the world into schools."

Guest

Sleuth, this sure is Posh!

December 06, 2006

VICTORIA BECKHAM goes for the smart, sophisticated style — but looks more Miss Marple than AUDREY HEPBURN.

Posh was the spit of Agatha Christie’s spinster sleuth as she stepped out in a prim ’n’ proper skirt and staid top.

I bet that underneath she even had on a pair of Bridget Jones-style big drawers.

Vic was out for a very sensible drink with close friend KATIE HOLMES – who turned up cradling baby Suri.

They supped champers at the exclusive Sunset Marquis hotel in West Hollywood – and their drinks waiter was pretty proper, too.

All so different from serial bottom flashers PARIS and BRITNEY’s recent girlie frights, sorry nights, out on the town.

TO SEE PICS OF POSH AND KATIE'S NIGHT OUT CLICK HERE:
http://www.thesun.co.uk/article/0,,4-2006560412,00.html

Guest

Becks is happy in Madrid

Despite rumours that Mrs Beckham is house hunting in Los Angeles and that her hubby David is close to sign to an American soccer team, David played down talk of a move.

David insists he is not on the verge of trading Spain for the United States.
He said: "The press are always talking but I am happy at Real Madrid and I am not thinking about going to the US."

Guest

Don’t Look Them In the Eye
December 11th, 2006 by Sarah in Victoria Beckham, Katie Holmes
Page Six hears that Victoria Beckham styled Katie Holmes for an upcoming Harper’s Bazaar cover, and during the 300-plus person shoot in Los Angeles, the production team was told not to look either of them in the eye.

Guest

Posh threat to sue jeans label for her cash 'owed'

VICTORIA Beckham is threatening to launch a sensational £50million lawsuit against the fashion label that made her own-brand jeans.

The star claims Rock & Republic owe her the massive sum for "loss of earnings" and is briefing lawyers for legal action against the trendy LA-based label.

Her legal team are considering whether to launch a claim for up to 100million US dollars within days, either in the High Court in London or the United States.

A legal source said: "With the company based in the US, this is likely to be a long-running and complex legal battle if no agreement can be reached."

The star's agreement with the fashion firm, owned by designer Michael Ball, began when she signed up with them in September 2004. The deal is believed to have included a share of profits. It is claimed Victoria has so far been paid more than £500,0000 by the company.

She asked lawyers to get involved because she now believes her jeans range was much more profitable than previously thought.

R&R, whose own jeans are highly prized in fashion circles, are said to have been given a deadline of last week by Victoria to respond to her claim. But with no settlement agreed, Posh's side have decided to begin legal action. The legal source added: "Victoria Beckham's lawyers and accountants believe the range have been far more successful than anyone imagined - and that Victoria is owed tens of millions of pounds."

Victoria is not claiming that there was any deliberate intention to short-change her.

The Sunday Mirror revealed in the autumn how Posh and R&R had split after two years so she could go it alone with her own range. Posh's R&R designs - worn by stars including Elle McPherson, Coleen McLoughlin and Katie Holmes - became so successful she is setting up her own firm without the help of an established firm.

Instead, she is almost certain to sign an agreement with a small family-run Canadian firm - Western Glove Works Ltd - to make the jeans. Victoria will launch her own Brand Beckham range under her and David's initialised DVB logo early next year at the Spring fashion shows.

A spokeswoman for Posh confirmed that she will no longer be working with R&R. "The partnership was hugely successful on both sides but Victoria is now to set focus on her own denim line through her label DVB," she said.

Last night Rock & Republic's Michael Ball insisted: "We have heard nothing about any legal action." A source close to the firm added: "We don't owe Victoria anything. This is ridiculous."

'It's likely to be a long legal battle'

THE BRAND BECKHAM

POSH'S new jeans range will be the third launch under the Beckhams' DVB label. Her sunglasses, launched last summer, are a big success and their perfume Intimately Beckham was launched in Venice in September.

Posh's handbags are still made with designer Samantha Thavasa, but she is likely to go it alone soon.

www.sundaymirror.co.uk

Guest

I'LL SUE YOU IN COURT BECKS

EXCLUSIVE Pink-suited club boss hits out at golden couple who he says branded him Arfur Daley Dave's £1m action against soccer hero over party row.

DAVID Beckham and wife Victoria are being sued for £1million by a man they snubbed at a star-studded party they hosted, The People can reveal.

Club owner Dave West - famed for his trademark pink suit - claims breach of contract against the celebrity couple.

He also accuses them of defamation in sensational papers due to be issued to the High Court tomorrow.

Millionaire Dave launched his claim against David, 30, and 31-year-old Victoria over the way he says he was treated at the charity bash they threw in May before the World Cup.

Dave, 62, donated £103,100 to the NSPCC when he bought tickets to go to the Beckhams' binge.

He said he hoped his presence at the do would boost profile of his London club Hey Jo. But in legal papers that will be filed with the court, Dave claims Beckham aides branded him an "unsavoury character" and likened him to dodgy dealer Arfur Daley - played by George Cole in the hit TV series Minder.

Dave said the aides BANNED him from mixing with celebrity guests at the black-tie beano - and also BARRED him from wearing his pink suit.

Dave eventually refused to go to the party and instead urged the Beckhams to match his £100,000 charity donation.

But he claims they refused - leaving him with "no option" but to sue for damages.

The flamboyant businessman said: "They made me feel thoroughly unwelcome despite my sizeable donation to charity.

"For some reason they wanted my money but not me.

"I reckon they were worried about me and my pink suit taking some of the limelight away from them because they want all the publicity for themselves.

"It should have been a fun day in the name of charity.

"But after the way they behaved, I think that David and Victoria are egotistical control freaks."

The Sunday evening bash was held at the couple's mansion - dubbed Beckingham Palace - in Sawbridgeworth, Herts.

The guestlist included rocker Ozzy Osbourne, his pop star daughter Kelly and wife Sharon, England aces Wayne Rooney and Ashley Cole, Brazil footy idol Ronaldo and lover Raica, singers Robbie Williams, P Diddy and James Brown and celebrity chef Gordon Ramsay and wife Tina.

The party raised cash for a string of charities including Unicef, the NSPCC and the Prince's Trust.

Dave bought his tickets online at eBay - but claims the Beckhams moved the goalposts as soon as the auction closed.

He said: "I had been told I was bidding for tickets to the whole event. But when the auction was over I received a phone call from a man called Simon Oliveira who introduced himself as the Beckhams' public relations man.

"It wasn't a conversation - he just dictated to me.

"I was told that I could only attend the reception and NOT the main party.

"Once there, I was NOT allowed to speak to any other guests and I was NOT allowed to hand out any business cards or have a camera.

"They also wanted me to sign a confidentiality agreement.

"Then I was told I had to wear a black tie and NOT my pink, suit.

"There was NO negotiation - they just wanted to mak things difficult for me.

"I couldn't believe it first and I did not un derstand why they were being so strict with me. But then I was told that the Beckham camp had described me as an Arfur Daley type and an unsavoury character - which was uncalled for.

"I am a very successful businessman and philanthropist.

"I didn't need one of Beckham's flunkies calling me up with a load of orders, so I decided not to go."

Divorced dad-of-three Dave - who made his fortune selling cut-price alcohol to booze-cruise Brits in Calais - is now demanding £1million damages from the couple.

He reckons the party would have been worth at least that much in licity to his lub and his 'company, Jewelite Trading Ltd.

Court Papers seen by The People claim that Dave and his company, lost "the ialue of the opportunity to attend a very desirable social occasion which was the subject of extensive press coverage".

Dave is also claiming for the loss of the "entertainment to be provided to guests at the reception" and the loss of the value of having his photograph taken with former England skipper David and Victoria.

The claim also alleges defamation by David, Victoria and PR guru Oliveira.

The papers say the "unsavoury character" and "Arfur Daley" references suggest Dave is involved in criminal conduct and is untrustworthy.

The Romford-born millionaire said: "I was a fan of the Beckhams.

"I had met Victoria previously at another charity function and she seemed like a nice lady.

"I wanted to meet them both together and mix with their celebrity friends in a nice enjoyable evening.

"Publicity is very important to me and my business and I like to donate money to charity, so I ' thought I could combine the two.

"I always wear my signature pink suit to add a bit of colour to proceedings.

"I would also have donated even more money at the party because there was an action at the event itself.

"Wayne Rooney paid £150,000 for a night out in New York with P Diddy - but I would have paid double that.

"And to top it off I would have loved to have had my picture taken with David and Victoria.

"It would have taken pride of place in my club.

"But they decided to make things difficult for me."

Dave claimed: "All they are worried about is their public image - and they didn't want me turning up and taking away some of their limelight.

"It's a shame because David is from a similar background as me and we would probably get along.

"But he seems to have forgotten all that now."

Bitter Dave added: "They think they are untouchable - but they are not."

This is not the first time the Beckhams have been threatened with a court case.

Real Madrid ace David faced being sued by a sexy beautician who claimed they enjoyed steamy romps - although she later dropped the action.

In March 2003, former Spice Girl Victoria had to pay out £155,000 and issue a grovelling apology after wrongly accusing a shop boss of selling fake autographs.

A year ago, The People exclusively told how mum-of-three Posh admitted in court papers that she fibbed over earlier claims that she had never had a boob job.

And the Beckhams were forced to settle out of court earlier this year after a legal wrangle with former nanny Abbie Gibson.

Leading London lawyer Rodney Hylton-Potts - who represents club boss Dave - declined to comment on his client's damages claim.

And PR chief Mr Oliveira also refused to comment.

www.people.co.uk

Guest

POSH NOSH ..WITH TOM, KATIE, J-LO AND MARC

AS posh noshes go, it had to be one of the most high-powered in recent Hollywood history.

In a strictly A-list get-together, Victoria Beckham, 32, dined at exclusive Cut restaurant in Beverly Hills with her new best friends.

They included newlyweds Tom Cruise, 44, and 27-year-old Katie Holmes, and singer Jennifer Lopez and her husband Marc Anthony, 38.

Posh met J-Lo, 37, at Tom and Katie's big day in Italy and discovered a shared passion for fashion. We just wonder which of the mega-rich dinner guests volunteered to pick up the tab...

Guest

Has Elton given Posh the push?

Has the sun gone down on the Beckhams? ... Victoria
and David have not been spotted with Sir Elton for almost a year

THEY were once joined at the hip.

Never a showbiz party went by without the BECKHAMS quaffing champagne and munching on caviar canapes with their “fairy godmother” SIR ELTON JOHN.

Generous Elt looked after them in times of crisis — offering his French home as a refuge countless times — and came out fighting for DAVID when he was accused of being unfaithful.

And the Beckhams cemented the close friendship by naming big- hearted Elt and his partner DAVID FURNISH as godparents to their eldest son BROOKLYN.

But I hear there are tensions between the former Official Best Friends.

Just think about it. The last time they were seen together was almost a year ago — December 21, 2005, to be precise — when VICTORIA went to Elton’s wedding.

Elton then failed to show at the Beckhams’ lavish World Cup party in July this year and the Beckhams were strangely absent from his Fashion Rocks charity event in New York three months ago.

My excellently placed sources tell me Elton has “distanced himself” from the couple purposely.

One source said: “Elton has always been so generous to Victoria and David in the past. But sometimes it’s easy to feel like people are taking things for granted. The Beckhams stay at his house in France all the time and have his staff running around after them. Which is baffling — they have their own house nearby.

“They haven’t had any row — they’ve just grown apart as friends.”

When I last interviewed Elton in September, he said he had sent a message to David about being dropped from the England team — but in the past he’d have been on the phone the moment the news broke.

And when I asked Victoria why she hadn’t been seeing so much of Elton, she said defensively: “He sent lovely birthday presents for the kids.”

No doubt spin doctors will insist there is no issue — but they would, wouldn’t they?

Perhaps Victoria thinks she doesn’t need Elt now that she’s new Official Best Friends with TOM CRUISE and wife KATIE?

And perhaps they’ll get a new nickname . . . The Free B’s anyone?

Guest

Kate tops Grazia's best-dressed list again

Supermodel Kate Moss has topped Grazia magazine's best-dressed list for the second year running - but she's facing competition from newcomer Lily Allen.

Allen's trademark look of trainers and prom dresses has proved a hit with fashionistas.

She is a new entry in the list at number 10. The daughter of actor Keith Allen is rumoured to be lined up as the new face of fashion house Chanel.

"Lily Allen is a real one-off. Prom dresses and plimsolls, chav bling and a fat fringe, crazy-colour catwalk make-up - we haven't seen a girl having this much fun with fashion since Kelly Osbourne," Grazia said.

"Allen's urban edge makes her the ultimate style icon for the Myspace generation. Cool, talented, successful, and with more attitude than Vicky Pollard, at 21, Lily Allen is already her own woman."

Moss is still the undisputed queen of fashion, topping the list voted by the readers.

"Sometimes quirky, often unpredictable but always cool, Kate does whatever she likes," the magazine said.

"But she's still making us wait for the one outfit we all want to see - the wedding dress."

The OC's Mischa Barton is in second place, followed by Kylie Minogue. The magazine hailed Kylie's transformation from pop princess to the epitome of Parisian chic since moving to the French capital with boyfriend Olivier Martinez.

Curvy actress Scarlett Johansson is fourth. "In an industry obsessed with size O and the debate around it, we really needed a sexy superheroine to save us from thinking we have to starve ourselves to be beautiful - and we got one," Grazia said.

Party girl Lindsay Lohan is fifth, ahead of singer Christina Aguilera and Marks and Spencer model Erin O'Connor.

Victoria Beckham is up from 10th place last year to eighth this year.

The magazine awarded her their Transformation of the Year honour after she ditched the "WAG" hair extensions and false nails for high fashion.

But there is bad news for Sienna Miller, who has slipped from second to ninth place since 2005.

Grazia editor Jane Bruton said: "Our readers voted mostly for those women in the public eye who embrace their own distinctive, individual style.

"The biggest accolade must be given to Kate Moss - whatever the speculation about her private life, she remains the enigmatic style icon of our times."

Top 10

1 Kate Moss

2 Mischa Barton

3 Kylie Minogue

4 Scarlett Johansson

5 Lindsay Lohan

6 Christina Aguilera

7 Erin O'Connor

8 Victoria Beckham

9 Sienna Miller

10 Lily Allen

Guest

Beckham to face United for charity

David Beckham will return to Manchester United for a charity game to commemorate the 50th anniversaries of the club's European Cup debut and the signing of the Treaty of Rome.

The Real Madrid star has been cleared to play for a Europe XI against United in the fixture scheduled for March 13 next year, and will be part of a squad coached by Italy's World Cup-winning boss Marcello Lippi.

Lippi said at a press conference after Saturday's Manchester derby: "I accepted the invitation immediately. I'm delighted by the prospect of such a game and I am already looking forward to taking on my great friend Sir Alex Ferguson."

Guest

Posh's annus horribilis

December 13, 2006

WHERE did it all go wrong for Posh? Once the WAG we all wanted to be, Victoria’s faced wrath and ridicule this year.

Our love of Brand Beckham fizzled as Vic angered campaigners with her skinny frame, scared style journos with her wacky wardrobe and patronised women the world over with her fashion bible.

Now we learn she’s topped a poll of women lads would least like to snog at their Christmas party. Oh dear.

Of course it’s not all bad news – That Extra Half an Inch and Intimately Beckham are bestsellers and a Spice Girls reunion is lined up for the Princess Diana memorial concert next summer.

But the Beckham backlash is still gathering pace. Click on the images above for details of the month-by-month misery our favourite Spice Girl has faced in 2006.

And wish the poor woman a better 2007.

JANUARY

Posh started the year as she meant to go on: by topping a poll of the least cool celebs from 2005.

Handbags emblazoned with the words ‘Mrs Beckham’ were reduced from £45 to a quid in Scottish Frasers’ stores while ‘Mrs Pitt’ and ‘Mrs Timberlake’ flew off shelves.

On the home front, police revealed a car park popular with sleazy dogging fans sat just 200 yards from Beckingham Palace.

And poor Vic also faced fashion flak for upstaging the groom and groom at Elton John’s wedding in a revealing Cavalli gown and wearing riding chaps the wrong way round to a dinner date with the Ramsays.

Designer Scott Henshall commented at the time, “There is a desperation about Posh which I think people can pick up.” Pot. Kettle. Black.

FEBRUARY

Corrie star Sally Lindsay kicked off the abuse this month by branding Victoria “a fly on hind legs”.

She expanded: “She looks like she's had a stroke. I've always thought it was nicer to smile in a photo.” Hmm, you’re not giving her much reason to, Sally.

Neither was Graham Barnett, a chatroom paedophile who hit the headlines when it was revealed he’d worked at the Laine Theatre Arts School while Posh studied there.

No wonder Vic felt the need to get away from it all with a much-needed ski holiday in Spain mid-month.

Sadly, pundits took the piste out of Posh’s sporty ski-wear and noted she spent more time posing in her Dior gear than breaking a sweat on the slopes.

MARCH

The world of pop mourned as Posh and Mel C put the kybosh on a Spice Girls reunion tour, fearing a ‘potential PR disaster’ according to one source.

Vic then shared her top ten style commandments with us, prompting the inevitable flood of features with pictures of her breaking them.

She faced more star swipes from her fellow celebs too. Calling her “emaciated”, Peaches Geldof implied Posh was responsible for teen eating disorders while Jordan labelled her fashion range “a bit crummy.”

The final insult? ‘Troubled’ model Kate Moss made the shortlist for Celebrity Mum of the Year while Vic dropped off the list altogether for the first time in five years.

APRIL

Another month, another pricey ski break for Victoria. This time the resort was Corchevel in France and the Chanel outfit was worth £5,000. The pouty pics and sarcastic headlines remained the same though.

Back in the UK, 40,000 Kerrang FM listeners voted Posh our third ugliest celeb while Madame Tussauds decided to “rest” their waxwork of the Beckhams to make way for more popular star, er, Shayne Ward.

MAY

World Cup fever was mounting but the only attention Posh was getting was negative.

In two killer polls, Victoria’s figure was voted the one least admired by teenage girls and her regular style overhauls earned her a place in the top ten worst reinventions.

The Full Length and Fabulous party was of course an A-list affair but heavy rain even threatened to ruin that.

Meanwhile, Posh drew criticism from the press for flashing designer price tags on a shopping spree and there were claims she was missing meals to slim for the tournament in Germany.

JUNE

June began as a good month, but ended up Baden Baden.

As the queen WAG prepared for the World Cup Rebecca Loos was busy reminding the world she existed on Celebrity X-Factor.

Biting back at judge Sharon Osbourne’s bitchy comments, Loos seethed, “Money can buy you clothes, looks, style, but you have to be born with elegance and class. People out there like Sharon and Victoria Beckham don't have it.”

Mrs B hobbled around Madrid with a painful bunion on her foot and then had to hire a £20,000 private jet to get to Germany after engine trouble grounded her flight on a commercial jet.

To add insult to injury, the star had to cancel a credit card after a bungling check-in girl handed over her flight details to a fan by mistake.

Things didn’t improve once she arrived at the tournament though.

Security guards had to scour the stadium after Posh lost her keys at the England v. Paraguay game and the WAGs got stuck in traffic on a coach for over two hours on the way to Cologne airport.

A German newspaper branded Posh a “trophy wife” and the Beckham brood “dwarves” just as pictures of Vic with what looked like a bald patch emerged.

The star flew home immediately for emergency extension attention while rumours of a rift with her fellow World Cup WAGs spread.

Surely, July will be better than this….

JULY

After David’s public pitch puke, England crashed out of the World Cup and Posh was seen sobbing with Cheryl Tweedy.

The England fans then turned on the WAGs, blaming the girls for our defeat and jeering “You’re s*** and you know you are”.

Amy Nuttall then stuck her spiteful oar in by spluttering “No-one should ever ask Victoria Beckham for dieting advice - not ever! The girl looks woefully stressed and is thin and gaunt.”

AUGUST

Peaches Geldof was back on the rampage, this time about Posh’s hair extensions.

“Victoria Beckham once said, 'I've got Russian Cell Block H on my head', which is basically admitting 'I know my hair is from Russian prisoners who can only buy food by cutting off their hair and selling it'. It's just so wrong."

Mrs B was clearly listening as she launched the Pob on us a few weeks later.

With best pals Geri and Katie Holmes bouncing baby girls on their knee, Victoria was heard to bemoan her lack of them.

“It's very difficult for David and I because we desperately want a daughter, and everyone's having them except for us,” she said.

Finally, as the Beckham fragrance double-whammy hit stores, Victoria attracted sniggers for the Intimately Beckham poster ad and her supposedly air-brushed arse.

Game girl Vic merely laughed off the rumours of her digital derriere claiming she’d learnt how to stick it out in pictures.

Oh, and she was spotted looking sozzled at 4am after a night out at Nobu.

SEPTEMBER

Fashion Week triumph was cruelly ripped from Posh as a host of stars and stylists lined up to slate her crazy couture transformation.

Paps snapped the star with what looked like an acne outbreak and whispers came back from New York that all the top labels were hoping she wouldn’t wear their gear.

One fashion PR was seen scanning the papers madly and joking, “Just checking the dreaded VB hasn't managed to get hold of any of our clothes”.

There were also rumours Burberry execs were dismayed when Posh was spotted dining with their creative director Christopher Bailey.

On the home front, 38 per cent of Brits voted Vic as the celeb they’d most like to hang up on and Posh’s brother-in-law tried to stave off creditors by claiming his famous sis would save his business.

Victoria was said to be fuming. Another rubbish month.

OCTOBER

A truly tragic month for the Beckhams as their former bodyguard was killed by a car bomb in Iraq.

Merrick McDonald, 42 - their chief minder for two years – was said to be seen as “one of the family” and “a rock” to Posh who “put absolute trust in him.”

Victoria's much-hyped book That Extra Half an Inch hit shelves and fashion pundits lined up to slag off her obvious style advice and patronising beauty tips.

They also printed another ream of articles featuring pics of Posh breaking every one of her style rules.

Brand Beckham took a knock as David was dropped as the face of Police sunglasses (in favour of Antonio Banderas) and Posh claimed she felt “like a bit of a midget” beside new best pal Katie Holmes.

Victoria even beat the bitchy naysayers to it with the following put-down about her figure, “I’ve got so much saggy skin on my stomach and I've got no bum at all…I look really awful naked.”

NOVEMBER

Amid rumours that Roberto Cavalli had dropped Posh as his muse and Elton John dropped her as his mate, Victoria was faced with the crushing news that son Romeo is epileptic.

She and David are said to be “devastated” at the diagnosis and fear paparazzi camera flashes could trigger a fatal attack for their beloved boy.

A source has said, “Victoria's family mean absolutely everything to her. She is a devoted mother who dotes on Romeo.”

“When she talks about his epilepsy and the terrifying fits it causes she wrings her hands with worry and tries to fight back her tears.”

Desperate stuff, eh? So you’d expect a little support from her fellow celebs. Shame Sarah Harding had other ideas.

“I feel for Victoria. She's always in the press and wears child sizes even though she's a grown woman. It's sick. Have some food."

She twisted the knife further: "What's sexy about being straight up and down and skinny? David can't like it. The female body should be an hourglass figure, not anorexic-looking."

You lot didn’t help much either, voting Posh as the star with the worst legs in the world.

Of course, Mrs B didn't help herself much with a fit of shameless attention-hogging at the Cruise/Holmes wedding and one of the silliest wedding hats in history.

Still all seems forgiven as the stars have been spotted dining together in New York since.

www.thesun.co.uk

Guest

Victoria Beckham asks Tom Cruise to help Mel B

- Is there anything Tom can't do? Oh, right. Act.

Victoria Beckham has begged friend Tom Cruise to help Mel B get through her messy break-up from Eddie Murphy.

Victoria - who has remained close to her former Spice Girls bandmate - was appalled to hear Eddie questioning the paternity of Mel's unborn child. The 32-year-old star has now apparently turned to the Top Gun actor - who is friends with Eddie - to try and make the Dr Dolittle star see sense.

A source told the Daily Star: "Mel has told Victoria about Eddie's comments on the phone. So Victoria mentioned Mel B's situation to Tom, who is pals with Eddie. It seems Tom may now have a gentle word with him about backing off."

As well as Tom, Victoria - who is married to soccer superstar David Beckham - wants more of her high-profile friends to rally round Mel B. The source added: "It's highly likely that all Victoria's American allies will be on Mel's side. Jennifer Lopez, who is becoming a good pal of Victoria's, knows how it works in Hollywood and is all for a bit of 'Girl Power'."

Mel B was left devastated after finding out Eddie had ended their five-month romance during a TV interview. The Nutty Professor actor - who is now dating film producer Tracey Edmonds - also said he would be demanding a DNA test to prove he is the father of Mel's child after it is born.

http://www.londonnet.co.uk/

Guest

JORDAN'S hubby PETER ANDRE has branded DAVID and VICTORIA BECKHAM "sad".

The Australian singer says the footballer and his ex-Spice Girl wife have allowed fame to go to their heads.

Pete told Star magazine: "With David and Victoria it seems like there's this untouchableness.

"And I just think that's sad. They seem to have got too caught up in their own world.

"We love normality, going home to the kids, changing s****y nappies, watching DVDs and ordering pizza. It's important."

His wife Jordan - real name KATIE PRICE - also hit out at Celebrity Big Brother winner CHANTELLE for losing her identity.

The glamour model, who is expecting her third child, said: "Chantelle has no career ahead of her. I think she has lost it. I think Preston has taken her identity away. She was nice and girlie before and people loved that.

"Now she dresses like him and looks boring. And her dark hair- she's lost her spark. No one talks about them any more anyway."

Guest

LOST IN TRANSLATION

VICTORIA Beckham says that after three years in Madrid she only knows two Spanish phrases - "where's Gucci? "and "bugger off" - and she doesn't feel the need to learn any others. Presumably on the grounds that Gucci means "nanny" and the bugger she's telling her to get off is her hubby

Guest

Posh saved me

15/12/06

GORGEOUS ex-footballer’s wife Suzi Walker has been rescued from a nightmare year – by her pal Posh.

Sad Suzi turned to her “rock” Victoria Beckham to help her through her
marriage split from ex-England star Ian.

In her first chat since the love-rat player ditched her for a Las Vegas stripper,
Suzi, 34, reckons she couldn’t have got through the last few months without pals like Posh and Paul Gascoigne.

“Victoria’s friendship through all this has been amazing,” says the devastated ex-model. “She really feels for me. She’s been on the phone saying if there’s anything she could do to help, she would be more than willing.”

Kind-hearted Posh, 32, even invited Suzi out to the Beckhams’ mansion in Madrid for a holiday to help her get over the split.

“She asked me to come and stay with her, which I’d love to do, just to get away from it all,” says Suzi.

“Victoria’s been a really good friend – the best – and she’s given me so much support.”

And Paul, 39, has also been a tower of strength. “Gazza is such a fun guy to go out with and that’s what I need right now,” she says.

“There’s no romance but we’ve been going out as friends. We text each other every day and he’s been great to me.”

She was left “in pieces” when Ian, 35, ran off with exotic dancer Samantha Thurman, 34, in May – disappearing for six weeks without a word about where he was going.

Now in the run-up to her first Christmas as a single lass in 13 years, blonde Suzi is showing her cheating husband just what he’s missing by posing for these steamy pics.

But it’s not all about looks, she warns the new generation of footie wives. “You can’t trust a footballer no matter what you look like,” she says. “Look what happened to me.”

Suzi – who lives in posh Cobham in Surrey – reckons her marriage started to go wrong when former Spurs and Leicester goalkeeper Ian moved north to play for Bolton Wanderers and started living the bachelor life on his own.

“I thought we were happily married,” says Suzi, who has an eight-year-old daughter Sophie with Ian.

“We were so close – we’d been together for 13 years. He was my first love and the love of my life.

“He moved up to Bolton and it was only supposed to be for a year. I was at the family home looking after our daughter while he was all on his own in his bachelor pad. We drifted apart.

“But when he got back from a lads’ holiday in the States I knew something was wrong.

“I could just tell straight away – I knew it was another woman. I tried to make it work but I knew it was over then.

“And now even if he wanted to I wouldn’t have him back after what he’s put me through.”

Former Page 3 babe Suzi warns the next generation of WAGs about the perils of being hitched to a football star – the constant threat from soccer groupies.

She reckons other halves like Coleen McLoughlin, 20, and Alex Curran, 24, always have to watch out for girls desperate to get their claws into the fellas.

“You just can’t trust a footballer,” she rages. “I thought we were happy together and then I was dumped, just like that.

“I used to give advice to all the young footballers’ wives and girlfriends – I’d say stuff like: ‘Don’t worry about them cheating, just be happy with yourself or it will tear you apart.’

“But that didn’t work for me. I must have been naive to think that he’d never cheat. But it’s just typical of a footballer – the temptation is always there.

“Look at how many have a reputation for playing around. And there’s more that never get found out.

“They’re rich, they have loads of time on their own and pretty girls constantly fling themselves at them.

“You see these girls around – they’re just interested in the fame and money and they don’t think twice about destroying a marriage.

“They offer it to them on a plate and it’s a very rare man who will say no to that.
“But what I would say is to get a pre-nup. You’ve got to be able to look after yourself and your family if it all goes wrong.”

Legal experts believe Suzi could easily take half of Ian’s estimated £5million because she played such a huge part in his career.

Suzi says: “Ian and I were together from the beginning, when he wasn’t famous and had nothing.

“I helped him build his career from scratch and we’ve been through everything together. I want enough to look after myself and our daughter.

“I gave him the best years of my life and did everything for him – it’s only what I’m entitled to.”

But she’s vowed to make up for lost time and enjoy being single again.

Suzi’s already been on dates with Crystal Palace chairman Simon Jordan, 39 – who was recently dumped by sexy model Sophie Anderton, 29.

But she is saying nothing about their relationship. She said: “I do know Simon, he is a friend of mine. But we are friends and nothing more.

“I have had a lot of offers and loads of sexy fan mail, which has been a real boost.

“But I’m not interested in money or fame – all I really want is someone to be nice to me.

“So if there’s any great guys out there who’d like to take me out, please get in touch!”

Guest

Beckham's bright idea for Mandela's Christmas gift: a book about Beckham

Both are among the most famous men alive and a hero to millions, but when it came to finding a suitable Christmas gift to send former South African president Nelson Mandela, imagination failed David Beckham.

In fact, his idea of the perfect present was ... a book all about himself.

The hardback copy of David Beckham: My World, published in October 2000, is one of many Christmas gifts currently pouring into the Nelson Mandela Foundation in Johannesburg, ranging from a silver bottle opener by Tiffany and Co to a still life oil painting sent by actor Robert De Niro and painted by his artist father. What Mr Mandela, 88, will make of the former England captain’s gift remains to be seen as he is away until the New Year. But it is clear that Beckham hopes they may have chance to discuss it in the near future.

A handwritten note inside the book reads: "To Mr Mandela. It was an honour to meet you. See you soon. David Beckham".

The pair met in May 2003 when the England team were in South Africa for a friendly match against the national team Bafana Bafana. They traveled to Mandela’s home in the northern Johannesburg suburb of Houghton where Beckham presented him with an England shirt which had "Mandela, 03" emblazoned on the back. Afterwards Beckham said: "He has such an amazing aura, you feel relaxed and at home as soon as you are in his company".

Beckham’s gift along with many others will be catalogued and stored waiting for Mr Mandela’s return, when he will chose those he wants to display in one of his three houses – in Johannesburg, Cape Town and Maputo, Mozambique. Verne Harris, the project manager of the Nelson Mandela Centre of Memory, said: "Mr Mandela will select the ones he wants to have in one of his houses. Those that he doesn’t require are registered here".

He added that the centre is planning to put together a travelling exhibition of some of the many gifts and awards given to Mr Mandela over the years but did not say whether David Beckham’s book would be among them.

Madiba, as he is respectfully referred to by South Africans, may be well advised to hold on to Beckham’s book as signed, limited-edition copies are going for £115 or more on the internet.

Other gifts received this year include a cashmere shawl from Queen Beatrix of the Netherlands, and the entire King James Bible printed on a single sheet of paper from an unknown donor. Many come from ordinary people.

"One Afrkaner prisoner who is spending 25 years in a Johannesburg prison sends him a homemade present every year, as Mandela is his hero. Last year it was a papier mache bust of Madiba painted in gold," said Boniswa Qabaka-Nyeti, information resource officer at the Foundation.

But it seems Mr Mandela’s favourite gifts are those that hark back to his childhood in rural Eastern Cape.

"He loves cattle. He’s still a village boy," said Qabaka-Nyeti, while according to Harris: "Last year a merino sheep breeder gave him three of his best sheep and he was delighted".

Guest

Becks delivers a cross look

December 16, 2006

GRUMPY David Beckham looks down in the dumps after leaving a tournament which took place at his football academy.

The England and Real Madrid star, 31, attended a 16-team corporate cup named after him at the Millennium Dome site in Greenwich, London.

Something seemed to have rubbed the usually even-tempered star up the wrong way.

At least other guests – including Becks’ former soccer star pals Paul Gascoigne and Paul Merson and actor Ray Winstone – were in a happy mood as they arrived at a Ministry Of Sound party after the event.

For picture:
http://www.thesun.co.uk/article/0,,2-2006580339,00.html

Guest

Victoria 'to play alien' in Scientology film

Victoria Beckham is reportedly set to star in Tom Cruise's new Scientology film.

The former Spice Girl has apparently been lined up to play an alien bride in 'The Thetan' - based on the bizarre sci-fi cult, which believes in alien life forms.

Victoria is said to be "thrilled" about getting her big Hollywood break.

A source told Britain's Daily Star newspaper: "Victoria is really hoping to make a go of it in Hollywood. This could be the perfect start for her, with good pal Tom Cruise in charge."

The 32-year-old - who made her first attempt at acting in the 1997 Spice Girls movie 'Spice World'- will play the bride of an alien leader called a thetan, which Scientologists claim is an immortal spiritual being, present in all humans.

Cruise - who is bankrolling the project himself after it was rejected by all the major film studios - is said to have picked Victoria for the role after being impressed by her "comic genius".

Victoria - who is married to soccer superstar David Beckham - is currently looking to buy a property in Los Angeles after recently landing a presenting role on a new US fashion programme.

Guest

One hundred million pound man

December 18, 2006

DAVID Beckham has insured himself for a record £100MILLION — the largest personal policy in sport history.

The deal, rivalled by only a few Hollywood A-listers, covers the pin-up soccer star for injury on the field, disfigurement and serious illness.

His policy — unprecedented in Britain — is so large that the cost has had to be spread between several firms.

The star already had personal insurance cover — but the new version DOUBLES the value of his previous liability.

It was unclear last night whether the deal includes kidnap and ransom protection for the 31-year-old Real Madrid midfielder. But he is not covered if he takes part in high-risk or adventure sports, including surfing or rock-climbing.

Only superstars like Mariah Carey and Jennifer Lopez have deals that come close to the ex-England skipper’s.

Both beauties are said to have insured their bodies for $1billion in recent years — although the real sum is thought to be much closer to that taken out by Becks. Dad-of-three Beckham, whose contract at the Spanish giants expires at the end of the season, took out the policy to protect against the prospect of a career-threatening injury that could slash his earning potential.

His extra premium payments are expected to run into hundreds of thousands of pounds. Becks remains the world’s highest-paid footballer. But his annual income decreased by ten per cent last year — from £17.3million the year before to £15.5million.

The ex-Man Utd star’s merchandising comfortably exceeds his club salary, reported to be £4million after tax.

He has a £3million-a-year boot deal with Adidas and a three-year £7.5million deal with mobiles firm Motorola.

He also has a long-standing contract with Pepsi worth an estimated £2million a year and a deal with Gillette.

Guest

Posh 'needs fattening up'

December 18, 2006

SLIMLINE singer Victoria Beckham is the celebrity that most Brits feel needs fattening up this Christmas, a survey revealed yesterday.

Posh, 32, scored a massive 54 per cent of the vote in a poll of 1,000 people. Singer Lionel Richie’s TV star daughter Nicole, 25, was next with 12.5 per cent.

REST OF THE TOP TEN: 3. Kate Moss 10%; 4. Teri Hatcher 8%; 5. Pete Doherty 7%; 6. Heather Mills 4%; 7. Paris Hilton 3%; 8. Girls Aloud 1.8%; 9. Lindsay Lohan 1.5%; 10. Keira Knightley 1.3%.

Guest

Victoria is scent packing

December 18, 2006

KYLIE Minogue has knocked Victoria Beckham off the top of the celebrity perfume charts.

The singer’s Darling fragrance was launched last month.

Sales of scents backed by celebs such as J-Lo and Britney have doubled, says high street chain Superdrug.

Posh’s Intimately Her is second in the store’s top 10 followed by Jade Goody’s Shhh and David Beckham’s Intimately Him.

Superdrug buyer Tim Hughes said: “Five years ago it was all designers.”

Guest

'I told Posh to fatten up', says ex-WAG Nancy

Nancy Dell'Olio has ordered Victoria Beckham to fatten up.

The on-off love of ex-England football manager Sven-Goran Eriksson said Posh Spice had become worryingly skinny.

"Victoria looked a bit too thin for my liking at the World Cup - and I told her so," Dell'Olio told First magazine.

"For someone who usually looks so good, it was worrying to see her looking so thin. Perhaps it was the stress of the World Cup - we all went through it."

She said Beckham had gained weight since then, adding: "She's someone who remains an inspiration to many - and that's another reason for her to maintain a healthy weight."

Dell'Olio claimed she and Sven are still together - sort of.

"We're still thinking, but we have been seeing each other. We are living together and we have been away together.

"So I say 'yes', in a way, we are still a couple," she explained.

She is writing a tell-all book about her life and plans to open a boutique hotel.

"I want it to be like I've opened my house. I hate big hotels and I am always looking for the small, interesting places," she explained.

Dell'Olio also expressed frustration that her age has been reported as 46.

"I do not know where this comes from. I'm not 46, I am 43. I'm fabulous anyway, I know I look 20 years younger than I am," she said.

Guest

Is Posh turning into Scientology Spice?

She's grown apart from Elton John and Liz Hurley. Now, an increasingly isolated Posh has turned to the Cruises - who are trying to turn her into Scientology Spice:

Victoria Beckham knows how it feels to be friendless: one of her formative memories is of being a social outcast at St Mary's High School in Cheshunt, Hertfordshire.

Most girls took the school bus, but she was chauffeured, Start-Rite shoes shining, in her father's Rolls-Royce.

At break time, she would be left standing in her neatly fastened Duffel on the edge of the playground, watching miserably as her classmates raced around.

They didn't want to know 'sticky Vicky' with her bad skin and posh family: she was never part of the in crowd.

Instead, she spent her time silently contemplating just how she was going to make them all very sorry indeed for ignoring her.

What sweet revenge, then, her new life must be. For she has just returned from a triumphant trip to America, where she took tea with Katie Holmes and baby Suri, followed by dinner with Tom Cruise, Katie and Victoria's 'new best friend' Jennifer Lopez and her husband Marc Anthony.

Victoria, who stayed at the Peninsula Hotel in Beverly Hills and appears to have subsisted on tropical fruit and Diet Coke, even acted as Katie's fashion stylist on a shoot for Harper's Bazaar just before she came home.

This stellar bit of mingling (about which she has boasted in several intercontinental phone calls) puts her, for the first time, within the orbit of the international A-list. It's the result of some pushy networking at the bizarre Cruise nuptials last month.

For it emerges that Victoria, undeterred by the sheer oddness of the spectacle, threw herself wholeheartedly into the festivities.

Wearing an extraordinary satellite dish hat and black cocktail dress, she seems to have treated the event as a giant promotional exercise.

She made sure she was twice introduced to J-Lo, even though the singer was at a loss as to who she was.

After she returned to Spain with her husband David, Posh then had her people call J-Lo's people, with the proposition that since she was going to be in Los Angeles hanging out with Tom and Katie, why didn't they get together.

She can be grabby and forward, says an old colleague. "It's that odd combination of being really quite insecure, but also pretty thick-skinned when it comes to getting what she wants."

There is a sense, though, that these transatlantic friendships are not quite as uncomplicated as they seem.

Could the Cruises be so very friendly because they are hoping Victoria will be the next high-profile convert to Scientology?

The couple have made J-Lo a friend of the religion and the get-together with Posh seems to have been celebrating the fact that Lopez, who was raised a Catholic, is said to be considering taking instruction and becoming a Scientologist.

David Miscavige, the cult's leader and Tom's best man, must be delighted. He is the man behind the movement's enthusiasm for celebrity converts.

And he and the Cruises know what a huge amount of influence the Beckhams have in Europe (identified by Scientologists as a key area for expansion with the opening of a new £10 million centre last year) and the Far East.

So, over dinner in Beverly Hills, Victoria is sure to have heard a lot of talk about L. Ron Hubbard, the science fiction writer who founded the movement, and his thoughts about the meaning of life.

But surely Victoria will not be swayed? She is not - yet - doing anything more than listening most politely to Tom and Katie and accepting Scientology books and pamphlets.

But some Beckham watchers believe she is so lonely that she is vulnerable to such 'love-bombing'.

Significantly, in recent months has been on more distant terms than previously with her very closest celebrity pal, Sir Elton John, who is godfather to her sons Brooklyn and Romeo.

Sir Elton is said to have rather tired of Posh, and his partner David Furnish is whispered to be fan of some of her alleged behaviour to the staff when the Beckhams use Elton's pink villa in Nice. Furnish, who has beautiful manners, has no time for anyone who is at all pushy or ungracious.

The relationship was strained by Elton's unguarded remarks at the height of the Rebecca Loos scandal, when he appeared to say was all Victoria's fault for leaving David alone in a hotel room in Madrid for six months.

"She and Elton are still friendly," says a friend, tactfully.

"It's just that they have seen very little of each other and not been in touch much as he has been busy touring."

But another adds: "They are barely in touch these days. Elton send the odd text or fax, and gets the odd text back." It's hardly the kind of behaviour you would expect of a close pal.

Nor is she bosom buddies any more with Elizabeth Hurley, who attended the Beckham boys' double Christening two years ago.

There is speculation about whether Miss Hurley is planning to ask Victoria to attend her wedding.

Victoria has also suffered a series of social reverses in fashion circles, where allegiances tend to be brittle and bitchy behaviour is the norm.

She is no longer close pals with Domenico Dolce and Stefano Gabbana, nor is she the most wanted client of several other high-profile designers, who can no longer be necessarily relied on for either freebies or a discount at their stores.

In recent months, with David busy in Madrid, it is notable she has had to resort to bringing along her hairdresser or make-up artist to social events.

When she went to Elton's wedding last year, it was her hairdresser, Ben, who, at 12.30am, told a rather tipsy Victoria that it was probably time to go home.

In fact, the only people who are truly inside the Beckhams' close circle are family members (her mother Jackie, father Tony and sister Louise, and David's mum Sandra) and employees (David's manager Terry Byrne and his wife Jenny, and Victoria's make-up girl, Marie Louise Featherstone).

"David and I don't have any mates," she moaned before their wedding. "We could have it in a postbox." And not much has changed.

Other Beckham allies are surprisingly few: Victoria is friendly with Lucy Rusedski (wife of tennis player Greg) and Tana Ramsay (wife of chef Gordon).

David is still close to Dave Gardner, the football agent, and his old Manchester United team mate Gary Neville.

"To be honest with you, over the years, he's been so busy with his football and playing for England, he didn't actually get much time to socialise," said Victoria this autumn.

"For the first time, we're getting a bit more time, so we've got to find him some mates."

So, what of the Cruise friendship? They were first spotted together two years ago, just as David was making his initial foray into the U.S. market with the launch of his football academy in Los Angeles.

It seems that the Creative Artists Agency, which also looks after Tom Cruise, effected an introduction.

After being dropped from the England team, Becks has identified America as the place where the next chapter of his career will unfold. A move to play for LA Galaxy is said to be likely when his contract with Real Madrid ends.

No wonder that Victoria showed such interest in the properties for sale neighbouring the Cruise home.

If Tom has Victoria in his sights as a possible Scientology convert, he has a long way to go.

Soon after their meeting, he gave her the book Assists For Injuries And Illnesses, and apparently she has told him she is very interested in its ideas about positive energy.

But according to sources in the U.S., so far he has failed to make any decisive impact on her spiritually (given that she confessed she's not finished a book in years, perhaps we should not be surprised.) She is, though, said to be open to spiritual possibilities.

Victoria - who was on the cover of Australian Harper's Bazaar last month - was the natural choice when Katie wanted the opinion of someone she could trust about her own cover for the American edition of the magazine, which was shot in New York earlier this month.

As Victoria has been heard telling Katie, she is about to become famous in America for the second time as a fashion expert.

The jeans she designed for Rock & Republic are well displayed in top store Fred Segal in Beverly Hills and were re-ordered three times by Kitsons in Los Angeles.

Katie obligingly wore the jeans on her honeymoon, which was a great publicity boost.

Victoria has parted company with Rock & Republic, and is finalising her own DVB denim range, which will go on sale alongside her sunglasses and handbags next year.

She will need all the celebrity help she can get to sell them in the U.S., where she remains largely an obscure figure.

Meanwhile, her manager Simon Fuller is attempting to sell a Pop Idol-type fashion show, featuring Victoria, to American TV.

The friendship with the Cruises, then, capitalises on a happy coincidence of aims and ambitions.

No wonder that Victoria, with her talent for social climbing, is taking such determined advantage of it. We can only wonder if a spiritual alliance is also on the cards.

www.dailymail.co.uk

Guest

From December 14,2006:

Tell Posh Spice She's Ugly

Victoria Beckham has revealed she perfected her pout in photographs years ago by asking her fellow Spice Girls to call her ugly before photoshoots.

Victoria told Britain's OK! magazine:

Guest

The lady in black braves the cold front

In the current spell of chilly weather, it's advisable to wrap up warm and tight.

And it seems Victoria Beckham got it half right when she stepped out for a bit of last-minute Christmas shopping yesterday.

Dressed in figure-hugging black top and a waspie, the 32-year-old singer toured the exclusive stores in Bond Street.

She seemed in a festive mood as she was followed from shop to shop by her driver, who was weighed down under a mountain of neatly-wrapped gifts. And while Mrs Beckham's outfit may not have protected her from the cold, it certainly turned heads.

The former Spice Girl opted for a pair of oversized shades for her shopping spree, although there was precious little sunshine about. Also in evidence was the shorter, more natural hairstyle she now favours.

Speaking of her changing appearance earlier this week, Victoria revealed that she had lopped off her troublesome lengthy hair extensions, with the full approval of her husband David.

As proof that the shorter look is catching on, both Britney Spears and Eva Longoria were recently spotted with 'Pobs' – Posh bobs.

Guest

The Claridge's clan

Pick the right place in London at the right time and all you have to do is stand there to watch the stars pass by - followed closely by the Duchess of York, but then you can't have everything.

Last night that place was Claridge's, where during the course of the evening the famous revolving doors bore witness to Kate Moss, Victoria Beckham, Cate Blanchett and, last and most definitely least, dear old Fergie.

It is not clear what these glamorous figures were doing there.

Posh had drinks with friends at the hotel before dinner at Nobu. At the end of the evening she kicked off her stilettos and put her feet up on the way home in the car. Perhaps she could have swapped notes with Fergie about foot-related stress-relief techniques: what about toe-sucking?

Meanwhile, someone is going to have to have a word with the duchess and Kate about their choice of bags.

Fergie's was an Anya Hindmarch Be A Bag with a picture of her daughters Beatrice and Eugenie: and, well, sorry Fergie, but those bags did first come out in 2001. And it is nearly 2007.

As for la Moss, it might be safe to discount the possibility that she had been doing a spot of Christmas shopping at Agent Provocateur.

Having done promotional videos for the lingerie shop, she probably has about three wardrobes full of their underwear at home.

The alternative? Perhaps the product placement thing is getting a bit out of hand.

Then there was Cate Blanchett: cool, elegant, impossibly beautiful in a Nordic ice maiden kind of way. There can be no possible criticism of the fragrant Ms Blanchett.

Meanwhile, in another part of the building, Lord and Lady Rothermere were hosting their annual Christmas party and entertaining a crowded room full of journalists and politicians such as George Osborne, John Hutton, Michael Howard and both Milibands, David and Ed.

The photographers camped out by the revolving doors appear to have forgotten to take their pictures, but we are assured that they looked lovely too.

Guest

Would States be such a Liberty for Beckham after an 'annus horribilis'?

As David Beckham geared up for his Christmas celebrations this time last year the then England skipper had plenty to feel optimistic about.

After all, there was the possibility of finally lifting a trophy with Real Madrid in his third season in Spain, and, as he cast his thoughts to Germany and the summer, the supposedly realistic opportunity to become the nation's first skipper since Bobby Moore to get his hands on the World Cup.

As he boards his chartered jet bound for 'Beckingham Palace' this weekend, a week's rest in prospect from his gruelling schedule on the Madrid bench, the promise of a successful 2006 has been replaced 12 months later with the prospect of yet another 'annus horribilis'.

And while the likes of Ruud van Nistelrooy, Ronaldo and Sergio Ramos began their yuletide holidays yesterday, Beckham's vacations have been delayed until tomorrow.

Not, mind you, thanks to fog at Heathrow or a baggage handlers strike at Barajas airport, rather because he has been called up for tonight's friendly match against city rivals Atletico in memory of their former president, Jesus Gil.

Beckham will be sharing the limelight with such Madrid household names as Adrián, Granero, Nieto and Valero. Never heard of them? Not surprising given their 'B' team status.

Yes, Raul, Guti and even Jose Antonio Reyes will be on show, but then again they don't have so far to travel for their glass of mulled Rioja.

The regulars and the foreigners have been given the night off, and the fact that Beckham's name is on the team-sheet perhaps underlines his current plight at Madrid. His starting role in Wednesday's 3-0 Bernabeu battering at the hands of minnows Recreativo de Huelva is another case in point, being only his fifth La Liga start since August.

Spanish inquisition: Beckham's Madrid nightmare continues... for now

Indeed, only once this campaign has he started a match Real have gone on to win and of their four defeats this season, Beckham has started in three.

However, that didn't stop him indulging in his usual clapping salute to all four corners of the magnificent 80,000 stadium at the final whistle, although there was only around 10,000 left inside by then.

Real would have you be believe that Beckham was handed his midweek starting place due to injuries to Antonio Cassano and Mahamadou Diarra, but the word in Spain is their absence was actually because they had been caught on camera slagging off coach Fabio Capello during a training session.

Beckham, of course, is too worldly wise to fall into such traps, but whatever the reason for his inclusion against 'Recre' it can come as little solace that he is only now to be considered by Capello either thanks to injury or punishment to those further up the pecking order.

Being surplus to requirements is something Beckham has had to get used to this year. Having tearfully limped out England's calamitous World Cup campaign, before the rest of his team-mates followed suit after there quarter-final defeat on penalties to Portugal, Beckham chose to hand over the armband.

Whatever his motives for the act, it did little to sway the opinion of new England coach Steve McClaren who, having watched Beckham at close quarters during his time at Manchester United and assistant to Sven Goran Eriksson, wasted no time in freezing him out of the international picture.

There is no denying Beckham is ready and willing to return to the fold. But as long as McClaren remains in charge their is little prospect of that happening, even injury to Aaron Lennon ahead of England's European Championship qualifiers against Macedonia and Croatia was not enough to force the former Middlesbrough boss into a change of heart.

His best chance to revive his England career would of course be a return to the Premiership in the summer when his four-year deal in Spain comes to an end.

Despite noises to the contrary there has been little movement on agreeing a two-year extension in Madrid. And even if the mutterings of one of Real's directors that they would rather Beckham decided to leave of his own volition are to be discounted, their remains little possibility of him putting pen to paper on a deal while he continues to be out of the first team picture.

Neither is Beckham looking to move in January either, however. By the time the Spanish season starts up again next year he will be eligible to talk to other clubs. Talk he will, but the plan is to have all his options in place come the summer before making a final decision on where to see out the remaining years of his top level career.

Bolton are interested, as are the hierarchy at Spurs, even if their manager is not. Celtic also remain a viable option but at present the glitz and glamour of the United States and Major League Soccer is still the most likely destination.

It has been said a move to the States, most probably with LA Galaxy thanks to his business ties with owner Philip Anschutz, would be an admission on Beckham's part that his career, come the summer he will be 32,is all but over.

But in Beckham's mind-set, and with no disrespect to either Bolton on Spurs, a move back to England to a club not of Manchester United's stature would rank as a similar admission.

By contrast, if Beckham's epitaph to the footballing world is for him to be seen as the man who finally cracked soccer in The States, it becomes easier to see why a move across the pond would be more appealing.

Decisions about his future will be discussing in the ensuing months in his plush office on Madrid's boutique lined Calle Serrano.

If you crane your neck out of the window you can just about see the plaza containing the statue of Cristobal Colon, Christopher Colombus to you and me, pointing in the direction of the new world.

For Beckham, the intrepid explorer would seem to be pointing in the right direction.

Guest

Beckham's month-by-month year of desperation

JANUARY: Real unbeaten in eight games. Beckham says: 'I want to stay at Real Madrid for the rest of my career. I am happy here.'

FEBRUARY: Real Zaragoza humble Real 6-1 in the King's Cup, then Arsenal win 1-0 at the Bernabeu in the Champions League. Becks insists he wants to be England captain even when Sven Goran Eriksson goes. 'I won't step down,' he says. Beckham ally Florentino Perez quits as Real president.

MARCH: Real out of Europe at last 16 stage after failing to score over two legs against Arsenal. Ronaldinho knocks Beckham off his perch as the world's most marketable footballer.

APRIL: Spanish title hopes are dashed as Real draw six out of seven games.

Beckham accuses referee Luis Medina Cantalejo of favouring league leaders Barcelona in the sides' 1-1 stalemate.

MAY: Barca crowned Spanish champions, leaving Beckham without a trophy for a third consecutive season at Real. The England midfielder tours the new Wembley with team-mates and muses: 'We'd like to open the stadium as world champions.'

JUNE: Free-kick strike against Ecuador means Beckham becomes the first Englishman to score in three World Cups, but otherwise he disappoints in Germany. Injury forces him off in quarter-final exit.

JULY: Quits as England captain. A tearful Beckham says: 'This has been the most difficult decision of my career. I want to continue to play for England.'

AUGUST: New national team manager Steve McClaren leaves Beckham out of his first squad, for a friendly against Greece.

SEPTEMBER: Substituted in 2-0 Champions League defeat at Lyon. Hints that his future lies away from the Spanish club.

OCTOBER: Left out of Real Madrid starting XI to face Barcelona.

NOVEMBER: Starts just one game for his club — in the poorly-regarded King's Cup.

DECEMBER: Two La Liga starts, two defeats, including a humiliating 3-0 home mauling by Recreativo de Huelva.

Guest

The season so far

- Beckham has started nine but completed only six of Real Madrid's 24 games in all competitions.

- In the league, he has started just five matches.

- He has played the full 90 minutes in both the club's King's Cup ties— a bad sign, because top Spanish sides use the competition to field mostly fringe players and youth-team prospects.

- He has come off the bench 10 times.

- Beckham has not featured at any stage in five games.

- He was given just eight minutes in the biggest match of the season — against champions Barcelona.

- Real have lost five games in all competitions. Beckham started four of them and came on as a sub in the other.

- He has scored three goals, one in the Cup.

- He has started just two Champions League games —the first a 2-0 defeat in Lyon and the second when Real had already qualified.

- Spanish TV programme Don Balon has quoted an unnamed Real director as saying: 'Everybody would be relieved if Beckham said he was going to play in the U.S. It's no good for the club to have such a famous player on the sidelines like a ticking time bomb.'

- An unnamed Real technical staff member said: 'Why would we invest £16m over two years on a contract for a player Capello doesn't like?'

- Real's record when Beckham has played the full 90 minutes is won two, drawn two, lost two.

Guest

Real to ruin Xmas for Becks

December 22, 2006

DAVID BECKHAM has been forced to postpone his Christmas holiday to play in a meaningless friendly.

Real Madrid’s top foreign stars were yesterday allowed off-duty for a week — yet Becks, 31, was ordered to turn out at Atletico Madrid tonight.

Roberto Carlos, Robinho, Ronaldo, Emerson and Ruud van Nistelrooy will take the night off.

But Becks and Italian defender Fabio Cannavaro are the only big-name imports who must turn out in a memorial match for ex-Atletico president Jesus Gil, who died in 2004.

Guest

Guess what Posh got for Xmas?

December 22, 2006

I WONDER what DAVID BECKHAM will cook up for wife VICTORIA on Christmas Day?

A couple of Christmas puddings… some stuffed Turkey breast, perhaps?

Whatever, as you can see from my pictures, Posh certainly looked swell as she thrust to the front of the festive shopping queue in a smart area of London.

But judging by her bulging, erm, bags, she could have done with some support as she pounded the pavement for last-minute gifts.

Bouncing from shop to shop was clearly hot work for Victoria, who had left her jacket at home, unlike the rest of us who were wrapped up.

But looking as good as that why would she want to hide under an overcoat?

If you've got it flaunt it...

Guest

Posh or is it now... slosh?

December 23, 2006

OH dear. What started out as a civilised shopping trip ended with VICTORIA BECKHAM stumbling out of a hotel bar.

The ex-Posh Spice was “tired and emotional” as she left London’s Claridge’s and hauled off her heels as she got in her chauffeured limo.

It’s hardly surprising – Victoria and a few pals necked EIGHT bottles of Krug champagne over the afternoon and into the evening.

One onlooker said: “Victoria had quite a bit to drink and was telling all her mates about her recent trip to America.”

Home time ... Posh relaxes in back seat after hotel champagne

Also at Claridge’s was supermodel KATE MOSS.

She and Victoria didn’t speak but Kate rushed over to say hello to SARAH FERGUSON, there with princesses Eugenie and Beatrice.

Victoria was busy gossiping about her new superstar mates.

The onlooker added: “Vic was going on about the size of JENNIFER LOPEZ’s bum. Victoria said it really is big when you see it in the flesh.”

Mind you, anyone’s bum looks big next to Victoria’s.

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Real hit Becks with £13m Gag

December 23, 2006

DAVID BECKHAM moved a step nearer the Real Madrid exit on Friday night — after the club hailed new signing Fernando Gago as one of the world’s best midfielders.

Boss Fabio Capello has identified the 20-year-old Argentinian star, who cost £13million, as the future of the Spanish giants.

And his arrival means Becks, 31, has even less chance of winning back a regular place.

Beckham’s contract runs out in the summer and the transfer window could now see him off-loaded.

Gago has signed until 2013 and Real president Ramon Calderon said on unveiling the player yesterday: “We’ve signed one of the best midfielders in the world.”

Guest

Do you need an insole, Posh?

SO THAT’S what they mean by Posh tottery!

Victoria Beckham teeters into a high-class fish restaurant in designer shoes with 11cm high heels . . . which are a size too big for her.

Posh, 32, looked so unsteady in the £500 footwear — a gift from hubby David, 31 — that she had to grab the ex England skipper’s hand for support.

Her tan-coloured shoes, by flamboyant Frenchman Christian Louboutin, are among the highest stilettoes on the market.

Well-heeled wearers have to buy them a size too big to avoid the weight of their feet crushing their toes.

Posh managed to pick her way out of a chauffeur-driven limo and into trendy Scott’s in London without toppling over in hers on Sunday night.

Quite a feet, by the look of it.

Guest

Posh n' Becks party with pal Gordon

Victoria and David Beckham were out on the town last night taking advantage of the capital while it’s relatively quiet.

The couple first had dinner at Japanese restaurant Zuma in Knightsbridge with chef Gordon Ramsay and his wife Tana before driving on to private members club Fifty, in St James’s.

The Beckhams and Ramsays have been friends for some time.

David and Victoria Beckham out on the town before meeting pal Gordon Ramsay

Mrs Beckham was wearing a sleek outfit thought to be by Moschino Cheap and Chic, featuring the cinched waist and structured look she now favours.

Football aside, they all own property in Dubai and are known to enjoy partying together.

Victoria Beckham has often been spotted on raucous nights out with the Ramsays, when David was back home in Spain playing football.

And over the summer the Beckhams hired Ramsay to prepare the food at their £500,000 party at Beckingham Palace.

Becks and Ramsay would also have had much to talk about. Perhaps one subject for discussion was Becks’s reported interest in moving to America, where Ramsay recently opened a New York restaurant.

And earlier this month both featured in a poll of the world’s 100 sexiest men, voted for by 4,000 women — and sponsored by condom maker Durex.

Guest

Posh dresses up as French maid

December 28, 2006

HAVE DAVID and VICTORIA BECKHAM swapped clothes with their hired help for a day?

I only ask because of these photos which show Posh dressed like a French Maid and David looking very similar to a chauffeur.

Last week I tried to guess what the Real Madrid ace could have bought Victoria for Christmas that left her looking so, well, swell.

And, from these snaps, she must have been bursting to tell dinner pals GORDON and TANA RAMSAY all about David's generous presents.

The foursome enjoyed a three-hour meal at top Japanese restaurant Zuma before leaving after midnight for a spot of clubbing at Fifty in St James's, London.

One topic of table talk may have been David's tie - surely the skinniest in all of showbiz.

And knowing what trendsetters the Beckhams are, I expect to see plenty of other men with not much material around their necks in 2007.

The French maid look isn't too difficult to copy either girls - just get yourselves down to the nearest Ann Summers store.

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Beckham boys and Geri hit ice

December 29, 2006

N-ICELY does it…

GERI HALLIWELL looks full of festive joy on a day out skating with ex-bandmate VICTORIA BECKHAM'S boys.

Sadly it seems both BROOKLYN and ROMEO are better skaters than the former Ginger Spice.

She tumbled over a few times on the temporary rink at the Natural History Museum - at one point even taking seven-year-old Brooklyn with her.

Luckily Romeo is already a whiz on the ice at just four-years-old and managed to avoid the fall.

Guest

Real deal or no deal for Becks

December 29, 2006

DAVID BECKHAM will have showdown talks with Real Madrid tomorrow to end speculation about his future at the club.

With just 48 hours left before Beckham becomes free to speak to other clubs, Real have decided to act.

The Spanish giants' sporting director Predrag Mijatovic will speak to the ex-England captain after training tomorrow about extending his contract .

Beckham is unhappy at a lack of first team action, despite starting two of Real's last three matches.

And with his contract expiring in July, Beckham is expected to listen to other offers in January before committing his future to Real.

Real president Ramon Calderon insists the club want Beckham to stay and have offered him a new deal.

The supremo says it is now up to the midfielder to decide whether or not he commits.

Calderon said: "After the conversations that we have maintained in the last months, David Beckham already has our offer on the table. Now it is he who has to decide.

"We are very happy with David and we all would like him to continue playing for the club and that he renews his contract."

Meanwhile, Real have been linked with a move for World Cup star Franck Ribery to replace Beckham.

The 23-year-old Marseille midfielder was a key member of the France side that reached this summer's World Cup final.

Ribery was linked with a move to Arsenal and Manchester United after his exploits but failed to agree an exit from the French side.

Beckham recently dropped down the pecking order at Real after the £13.7million signing of 20-year-old midfielder Fernando Gago from Boca Juniors.

Guest

Becks hits new lows in 2006

December 29, 2006

IT has been a year to forget for David Beckham.

In 2006, the Real Madrid maestro suffered injury heartache, lapses in form and terrible luck.

The midfielder quit as England captain only to be dumped by new boss Steve McClaren.

Then when Real appointed Fabio Capello, Beckham fell down the pecking order at the Bernabeu spending a fair share of his time on the bench.

As the year progressed, speculation about Beckham's future in Spain intensified.

Bolton, Blackburn, Newcastle, Tottenham, and Inter Milan were all said to be interested in signing Becks.

His future was in the balance until Real signed Argentine whizzkid Fernando Gago last week.

Now, Beckham's La Liga career looks to be over.

SunSport Online looks back a Becks' year of hell.

January - Sven Goran Eriksson announces he will resign as England boss after the World Cup, plunging Beckham's future as England skipper into doubt.

February - Beckham's Real Madrid side are humiliated as they are trounced 6-1 by Real Zaragoza in the Copa Del Rey semi-final.

March - Real are knocked out of last 16 of the Champions League by Arsenal. Theirry Henry's single first leg goal is enough to put the Gunners through.

April - Ronaldinho is named as the most marketable and highest paid player taking over Beckham in both catagories.

May - Barcelona win their third straight La Liga title. Beckham still has not won a trophy since arriving in Spain.

June - After scoring in the first game of the World Cup, Beckham's tournament is cut short when he picks up and injury in the quarter-final loss to Portugal.

July - Beckham resigns as England captain but vows to play on and fight for his place in the team.

August - New England boss Steve McClaren names his first squad and does not include Beckham. Although McClaren insists the door is not closed, Beckham's England career looks to be over.

September - Real Madrid boss Fabio Capello announces that he is unsure of Beckham's role at Madrid, describing him as a "squad member".

October - Beckham starts just one match fuelling speculation he will leave the Bernabeu at the end of his contract.

November - Enrages Capello by attending wedding of superstar mates Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes in Italy without permission of Real.

December - Real Madrid sign 20-year-old midfielder Fernando Gago from Boca Juniors dropping Beckham further down the pecking order.

Guest

Together again, The Ice Girls

GERI HALLIWELL and VICTORIA BECKHAM turned the ice-skating park at the Natural History Museum into London’s trendiest rink.

The ex-SPICE GIRLS looked glam as they took their kids there for some slippery fun.

But Geri spent more time on her bum than on her skates – and Posh sat out holding Geri’s baby BLUEBELL MADONNA.

Cool cat Geri took the lead, skidding off with BROOKLYN and ROMEO and looking at first like a Dancing On Ice star.

But it wasn’t long before she slipped up, taking a giggling Brooklyn down with her.

The pair were in hysterics while Posh peered from her cosy perch through a pair of Dim Shady glasses.

Luckily, Romeo seems as twinkle-toed as his dad DAVID – and managed to avoid the collision.

An onlooker said: “Geri and the kids were having great fun. “But Posh wanted to sit out on the side and feed the baby.

“It looked like she had had too much Christmas cheer and needed shades to nurse a sore head. I mean, who wears sunglasses in winter?”

Guest

I'll buy my own house in LA, Posh tells Becks

There's no doubt that Victoria Beckham is a lady who usually gets what she wants, but her latest quest seems to be coming between her and husband David.

The couple - in England for Christmas - have fallen out over the former Spice Girl's desire to buy a beachfront home in Malibu, Los Angeles, because David does not want to live in America.

Victoria was spotted house-hunting before Christmas and had her eye on a stunning beachfront home close to the Beckhams' new friends Tom and Katie Cruise.

But the Beckhams lost the property and I'm told 32-year-old Victoria is house-hunting again, this time without her husband.

According to friends, the pop singer turned fashion designer is keen to spend six months of the year in LA.

But David, 31, who reportedly wants to leave Real Madrid in the New Year, hopes to move back to the UK for good.

A friend says: 'It has become a bone of contention between them. Victoria is hellbent on buying in LA but David is less keen.

'Victoria is now tired of Madrid. She is close to the Cruises and their Hollywood friends, and she knows they are influential people who will be able to help her get her next break.

'She's determined to be the breadwinner in 2007 and sees America as the place to make that happen.

'Victoria is putting pressure on David to buy a home in Malibu and wants it so badly she has said she'll pay for it herself.'

Yet she may have to tone down her expectations. 'Victoria is very fussy and has fallen out with several estate agents,' says my West Coast mole. 'She's more demanding than some of Hollywood's biggest stars.'

Guest

D-day for Becks over move to America

December 30, 2006

David Beckham returned to training at Real Madrid on Saturday with his footballing future in the balance and the Spanish club seeking immediate talks about his plans.

Tomorrow the world’s most famous footballer becomes a free agent and Real’s sporting director Predrag Mijatovic wants to speak to Beckham about his intentions.

Having missed out on the New Year’s Honours list in Britain — rumours that he was to be awarded a knighthood proved groundless — the former England captain must weigh up his options for what will probably be the last two years of his playing career.

With his contract at Real finishing in June 2007, Beckham can now enter official talks with clubs around the world and his negotiating team are poised to open discussions with American Major League side LA Galaxy.

Beckham’s key negotiators, Simon Fuller and Terry Byrne, are not due in Madrid until the middle of January and seem intent on delaying negotiations until they have assessed all offers.

In doing so they will hope to force Real Madrid to reconsider their insistence that the club should retain 50 per cent of Beckham’s image rights in the renewal of his £6million-a-year deal.

The club have let it be known that they are lining up Beckham’s footballing successor, France international and Marseille winger Frank Ribery.

Real Madrid president Ramon Calderon is keen for Beckham to renew his contract until 2009, although on Real’s reduced terms. Beckham’s managerial company 19, run by pop impresario Fuller, has already been in talks with the owners of LA Galaxy but only over the development of Beckham’s Soccer Academies.

Beckham already has a close business relationship with the Anschutz Entertainment Group, the American company run by billionaire Philip Anschutz which owns LA Galaxy.

Although a move to Los Angeles would seem premature for Beckham, who is 32 in May, it is still his most likely destination if he does not renew at Real Madrid.

The Premiership options are thin, with Manchester United, Chelsea, Arsenal and Liverpool not interested.

Tottenham chairman Daniel Levy has been keen to bring Beckham back to his roots in London but would have to convince coach Martin Jol that this would not disrupt the development of the likes of Aaron Lennon.

Bolton manager Sam Allardyce has already expressed his interest but the management of Beckham’s image by Fuller means such an unglamorous move could not be considered.

If the saga continues until the summer, Newcastle United would doubtless enter the fray, while Inter Milan have been aired as a possible option as Luis Figo finalises his move to Saudi Arabian club Al Ittihad. Beckham has filled Figo’s boots at Real Madrid but a move to Serie A at this stage of his career is not a priority.

Celtic chairman Brian Quinn would like to make Beckham the centrepiece of a new galactico-style recruitment policy at the Scottish champions but Beckham would be following Figo into football oblivion if he moved there.

In the days of former Real president Florentino Perez, the instigator of the reign of the galacticos, Beckham could have named his terms.

In the world of Calderon, who took over last summer, Beckham no longer enjoys favoured status. He has endured a miserable year which has seen him widely blamed for the national team’s failure at the World Cup,then dropped by England before suffering a terrible first half of the season for Real Madrid.

He has sunk to being a squad player under new coach Fabio Capello which has led him to declare that he is ‘sad and frustrated’. Even when he has forced his way back into the starting team his appearances have coincided with Real’s worst performances,culminating in the excruciating 3-0 defeat at home to Recreativo de Huelva just before Christmas. Beckham has started only nine games under Capello, four of which have ended in defeat.

Vicente Del Bosque, Real manager between 2000-03, when they won two European Cups and two Spanish league titles, said: "I would not renew David Beckham’s contract because of his sporting output. There may be other economic reasons for having him on the staff but that’s not something I would involve myself in. If you’re asking me as a coach, would I renew his contract, I would say no."

Guest

Posh: I want more breast

MEGA rich Victoria Beckham took her kids to a Toby Carvery — then complained she hadn’t been given enough turkey breast.

Staff at the pub chain were amazed when Posh, 32, walked in for a £7-a-head lunch with sons Brooklyn and Romeo, her sister Louise and three minders.

Builder Matthew Morgan, 23, who was dining at the pub in Ewell, Surrey, said: “We were saying how nice it was to see Victoria doing something normal and not being all stuck up — then she started complaining.

“I was behind her in the queue and when darker bits of meat were put on her plate she made it clear she wanted more breast.

“The lad serving her couldn’t get a new turkey fast enough. I felt sorry for the cook — he looked shaken that she didn’t like what was served.”

A Toby spokeswoman said: “We were delighted to welcome her.”

Meanwhile Posh has admitted she wants hubby David, 31, to retire soon so they can go on holidays.

She said: “We’ll do all the stuff he hasn’t been able to do because he works every day. We’ve never had a two-week proper holiday in the sun.”

She also revealed what she got for Christmas — pyjamas and slippers.

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Becks can make England return

January 02, 2007

DAVID BECKHAM could be set for a sensational international comeback.

That is the verdict of Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger, who reckons England coach Steve McClaren has a rescue mission in mind for Becks.

Wenger said: “I don’t want to add to the pressure on McClaren, who already has a whole country on his back.

“But I have no doubt he is thinking again about Beckham who, technically, remains a very great player.”

England are in desperate trouble in their Euro 2008 qualifying campaign since McClaren decided to axe midfielder Becks.

And Frenchman Wenger sees an immediate comparison with what happened in his own country when Raymond Domenech was first appointed manager.

Domenech started the last World Cup qualifiers without Zinedine Zidane, Lilian Thuram and Claude Makelele after a Euro failure.

Wenger added: “Like McClaren, Domenech tried to open up a new era before seeing that his team lacked experience.

“Then France recalled Zidane, Makelele and Thuram — and improved.”

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Becks to stall through sales

January 01, 2007

DAVID BECKHAM will stall his way through the January sales — so he can improve his bargaining position with offers from rival clubs.

Real Madrid are furious Becks has not signed after offering their midfielder a two-year, £100,000-a-week deal and 50 per cent image rights.

But from today the Spanish giants are powerless to stop Becks inviting other clubs to top their offer.

A Beckham spokesman insisted: “David has no intention of leaving the club in January.

“He still wants to play a big part in the remainder of the season with Real Madrid and talks are ongoing.”

Becks, 31, missed training yesterday with neck trouble.

Guest

“David has no intention of leaving the club in January.
That turned out to be total rubbish . Why do you think he left ? I don''t know was it coz of Victoria or the money or does he really think he's going to revolutionise American 'soccer'

Guest

Guest

I wouldn't suprise me if Victoria had decided for him either apparently he asked Tom Cruise for advice as well . You're right he's never been a good footballer and he's past his prime anyway now . All he's going to do in American is get paid a hell of a lot .

Guest

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Posh on David's England squad heartbreak