Category Entertainment News

As one of the best-selling artists in the world gets ready to celebrate his 75th birthday, Phil Collins addresses rumours of a final farewell tour

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When his assistant walked in with an inflatable balloon in the shape of the number 2, Phil Collins was confused. “Who’s two?” he asked her. “She said, ‘No, it’s two years since we had a drink.’” It’s a massive achievement for Phil, whose drinking led to pancreatitis so severe that his will was discussed while he was in hospital – in front of his children. He admits: “It’s been a difficult, interesting, frustrating last two years.”

Describing his drinking, he continues: “I wasn’t one of those guys that stayed up all night drinking, I’d drink during the day. But I guess I had too much of it and it all caught up with me.” Phil, who turns 75 on January 30, is speaking to Zoe Ball for an exclusive interview to be aired on Radio 2 in early February. He talks frankly about his cocktail of health problems, starting with a spinal injury during the 2007 Genesis tour, which triggered nerve damage affecting his hands and legs – forcing him to stop drumming and retire from touring in 2022. He has also had knee operations and he has type 2 diabetes and hearing loss from a viral infection he picked up in 2000.

READ MORE: Top band ‘beat the crap out of each other’ during ‘very dark’ recording sessions

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Living alone in Switzerland in 2008, the year he finalised his divorce from third wife Orianne Cevey – although they reconciled in 2016 and then parted again in 2020 – also escalated his drinking, when he had “too much time on my hands.” But today, Phil looks trim and fit and is considering going back into the studio and even touring. He says: “I have a 24 hour live-in nurse to make sure I take my medication. “I’ve had five operations on my knee. but now I’ve got a knee that works and I can walk, albeit with crutches. But I’m not dead yet.

“The things that are ahead for me would be, apart from just being back to being totally mobile and healthy, sort of maybe go in there [into the recording studio] and have a fiddle about and see if there’s more music. So that is something on my horizon. I’ve got some things that are half formed or were never finished, and a couple of things that were finished, so you know there’s maybe life in the old dog yet. Never say never.”

With three UK number one singles, two Golden Globes, six Brit Awards and eight Grammy Awards under his belt, Phil Collins has had an incredible career. He has also had a very colourful love life – with divorce settlements reportedly costing him £42m. Orianne was his third wife; his second marriage from 1984 to 1996 was to Jill Tavelman and his first, from 1975 to 1980 was to Andrea Bertorelli.

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But he is immensely proud of his five children – his adopted daughter Joely, 53, son Simon, 49, daughter Lily, 36, and sons Nicholas, 24, and Matthew, 20. Actress Lily is a celebrated actress, with credits including Emily in Paris, Snow White and Mirror, Mirror. While Nic plays drums and fills in for his father in Genesis and Mike and the Mechanics. Phil says: “I had a very happy family life. My kids are amazingly well adjusted considering some of the things that they’ve been through. I’m very proud of all of them. They’ve all stood on their own and done what they believe in.”

Nic and Phil have played together on many occasions, although Nic professes to being nervous about standing in for his famous father, He says: “He’d come by the side of the drum riser on some of the instrumental bits. Once I figured out that he wasn’t sitting there to judge me – it became a really nice moment that we shared.”

Phil says Nic’s talent “surprised the sh** out of me’”. Recalling how he’d play drums with Nic and Matthew when they were kids, he says: “They’ve had two drum kits and my drum kit down in the playroom and we all used to play together and then they played together and Nic just got better and better. I’m very proud of him and he’s amazing. I’m very proud of all my kids, they’ve all done incredibly well.”

Phil’s oldest son, Simon, is also a musician and drummer – a former lead singer of progressive rock band Sound of Contact. His eldest daughter, Joely, is an actress and producer and his youngest son, Matthew, is a professional football player in Austria. Phil, whose dad Greville was an insurance agent, and mum, June, was a talent manager, got his first drum kit aged five – the same year he started drama school and landed the role of the Artful Dodger in a West End production of Oliver.

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Reminiscing about sell-out concerts he has performed at, he says: “Sometimes I feel like, wouldn’t it be nice if we did it again. I just don’t know if I wanna go as far as to launch that boat, you know? Because once you launch it, it’s difficult to unlaunch it.”

Growing up in Chiswick, west London, Phil – who joined Genesis as the drummer in 1970 – says becoming the frontman when Peter Gabriel quit in 1975 was not planned. He confesses: “The job was kind of thrust upon me by default because we couldn’t find a singer. I was very reluctant at first and it was my first wife that said ‘Why don’t you do it?’ and at that point I bit the bullet. Having to go down the front and stand with just this microphone stand scared the life out of me. The drums were like a security blanket – you’ve got something between you and the audience. Everyone’s looking at you ‘cause you are the singer, whereas they didn’t look at the drummer. I was suddenly under the spotlight.”

But, as the hits – like Follow You Follow Me – came, his confidence grew and in 1981 he began a successful solo career, with hits like In the Air Tonight reaching number 2 in the UK charts. Phil also worked with former Led Zeppelin vocalist Robert Plant in the early 1980s, drumming on his first two solo albums, touring with him and performing with him at the 1985 Live Aid concert. Robert says: “We had so much fun. I love him and he played a big part in my early career take-off, post Led Zeppelin.”

Looking back on his astonishing career and the incredible people he has worked with, despite his health difficulties and the drink problem that he seems to have conquered, Phil has few regrets. He says: “I’d love to do it again. I wouldn’t have missed it for the world.”

According to reports, Brooklyn Beckham is in charge of the incident involving his altercation with his mother, Victoria, with claims that he is the only person to have video of her “humiliating” him.

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Brooklyn Beckham has been left with “all the power” after his scathing outburst towards his parents, according to sources. The 26-year-old pulled no punches as he slammed David and Victoria Beckham’s recent behaviour amid the family’s public fallout.

In his six-page Instagram Stories statement, Brooklyn claimed his mother had humiliated him on his big day. He alleged the former Spice Girls star ruined his special moment with his wife, Nicola Peltz Beckham.

Brooklyn claims his mother chose to hijack the occasion in what should have been their special first dance. Singer Marc Anthony called him to the stage, according to Brooke.

READ MORE: EXCLUSIVE: Victoria Beckham says she hates ‘nasty children’ in unearthed interview where she shares hopes for BrooklynREAD MORE: ‘Beckham Clause’ now available for holidays in case of family drama

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According to legend, Victoria was reportedly waiting in the wings before joining her son. In Los Angeles, Brooklyn claimed she then performed an “unappropriate” performance in front of more than 500 people.

The oldest son of Victoria, who is also a child, claimed he had never felt more “uncomfortable and humiliated” than at the time. Fans are eager to watch the telling moment despite his comments, which is claimed they may never see.

Instead, a source claims that Brooklyn has “all the power” thanks to this video. They claim that he and his wife are the only ones who are unlikely to make the video public.

Speaking to the Daily Mail, the source said: “Brooklyn holds all the power when it comes to the video of Victoria dancing ‘inappropriately’ on him at his wedding to Nicola.

You get the point, Brooklyn, but you can see why they never wanted the video to be made public. He has remained silent about his experiences with his family and, in particular, how deeply depressed his wedding day was by his mother. “Now,” he is finally speaking out.

The only person who could legally release that footage is Brooklyn himself, they continued. And despite being clearly pushed to the breaking point, he may still feel uncomfortable, especially on such a public level.

A source has previously claimed to the Mirror that Victoria was “on the floor in bits” following her son’s latest outburst. “Victoria is on the floor, shocked to pieces that her son would do this,” they said.

Everyone is shocked, they continued, “but Victoria is completely unmoved by this.” She and David are concerned that Brand Beckham’s career will end with the accusations of falsehood and pretended relationships, but they are also concerned about what other material he will release.

They continue to blame Nicola because they believe she did it, and it’s all due to her. However, as Brooklyn put it, this was required. He dislikes how their narratives control him.

He wrote legal letters to the defendants to warn them against discussing their wedding dresses and making out that Nicola didn’t want to wear her dress.

A PR to the stars reveals what strategies they should use to keep “Brand Beckham” intact while the world waits intently for David and Victoria Beckham’s response to Brooklyn’s allegations.

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For years, Brand Beckham has ranked among the most powerful in the world, synonymous with a glamorous yet close-knit unit that has frequently drawn comparisons with the Royal Family.

But now the clan have now become more synonymous with Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, as a family feud has erupted on the public stage. Sparing no prisoners, Victoria and David’s eldest son Brooklyn, 26, has taken to Instagram with a blistering statement, making it painfully clear that he has no intention of reconciling with his family following a years-long rift.

In a series of bombshell revelations, the photographer-turned-chef claimed mum Victoria left him “humiliated” after “hijacking” the first dance at his wedding to Nicola Peltz. He claimed that his parents had repeatedly treated Nicola, 31, disrespectfully and that he had been told his wife wouldn’t be accepted when he had arranged a meeting with his father David for his 50th birthday.

Brooklyn’s version of events may well shake up perceptions of life behind the doors of Beckingham Palace, but is ‘Brand Beckham’ tarnished for good? Here, PR to the stars Mayah Riaz weighs in on the “massive reputation bruising” the family now faces.

READ MORE: Brooklyn Beckham’s bombshell statement sparks Netflix theory as fans make plea

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Mayah told the Mirror: “There’s no doubt this is a big moment for Brand Beckham, but despite how explosive his posts were, I wouldn’t call it fatal. Sure, it has caused massive reputation bruising, but it’s not a knockout blow. The Beckhams are one of the most resilient personal brands in the world, and they have survived far worse headlines than this. What makes this different is that the criticism is coming from inside the house, which always lands harder.

Because it fits a narrative that is already well understood, Brooklyn’s statement has been overturned. The controlling mother, the curated perfection, the cracks behind the glossy facade. Despite all of this, Victoria and David still command a large amount of public sympathy in the UK. They are portrayed as grafters who created something from scratch. Brooklyn, fairly or unfairly, is still viewed as the privileged son finding his voice late. He runs the risk of being portrayed as a moaning nepo baby rather than an injured adult child at this time.

She continued, “The comparison between Harry and Meghan is inevitable but flawed.” Harry and Meghan positioned themselves against an institution. Brooks is putting a price on his parents. That’s much harder to emotionally sell, especially in Britain. The UK public tends to side with parents unless there is undeniable proof of wrongdoing. There isn’t at this time.

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Much like the Windsors, the Beckhams are undoubtedly a British institution. With his diverse collection of distinctive hairstyles, Sir David merged the worlds of celebrity and football in a way that had never before been seen. He then went on to lead the England squad at the height of his prestigious career and sparked long line-ups outside barbershops.

Lady Victoria, a “girl power” icon of the 1990s pop culture who dominated stadiums as one-fifth of The Spice Girls, was by his side every step of the way. From the very beginning of their courtship, the Beckhams ‘ sense of style made just as many headlines as Sir David’s on-pitch antics. When Victoria, who was also a fashion designer, transitioned from her music career to establish themselves as a global powerhouse, it made perfect sense.

Brooklyn, Romeo, Romeo, 23, Cruz, 20, and Harper, 14 are the Beckhams’ four children, and they are a big part of the brand, of course. Welcomed to the world with all the fanfare of princes and princesses, fans have kept up with the lives of the younger Beckhams through glossy magazine shoots and more down-to-earth social media posts of family Christmases and holidays.

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Although not as relatable as the typical Joe, the Beckhams have a lot of heart, and they give the impression of a happy family surviving all the customary milestones while also carrying the burdens of an extraordinarily wealthy life lived in the spotlight.

Brooklyn’s account shakes up this narrative of likeable authenticity. The former model asserted in his statement that “my family values endorsements and public exposure above all else.” First is Brandy Beckham. Family ‘ love ‘ is decided by how much you post on social media, or how quickly you drop everything to show up and pose for a family photo opp, even if it’s at the expense of our professional obligations. “

Mayah remarked to us as she examined Brooklyn’s fiery comments, “The discussion around monetizing Brooklyn is complicated from a young age. Children raised in well-known families frequently are unaware of the brand’s origin and origin. That can absolutely affect identity and autonomy later in life. Participation does not, however, automatically imply exploitation, especially when it is seen as a family rather than a form of business. The significance of the story’s nuance frequently vanishes in the news.

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“Whether Brooklyn actually wrote the statement is a big question. It reads professional and emotionally authentic. That doesn’t mean Nicola wrote it, but it does suggest guidance, and that would have been wise. The majority of famous people publish content that has been heavily edited without second opinion. The tone has a coaching rather than chaotic feel, which is typically a sign of support rather than manipulation.

” It’s an easy narrative to suggest that Nicola wrote it, and one that would play into the Beckhams ‘ favour. She continued, “I would say this in a soundbite if I had to sum up it.” Instead of playing checkers, the Beckhams are playing chess. Brooklyn is playing truth, not strategy. One makes headlines, the other typically makes a long-lasting impression.

Sir David broke cover today to appear at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, where he pointedly refused to answer questions about the ongoing family drama. On the other hand, sources reveal to the Mirror that Victoria is “in bits” over the escalating feud and the myriad of claims Brooklyn has made about the family, while David is ‘angry’.

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Everyone is shocked, according to a source close to the Mirror. But Victoria is totally in pieces over this. She worries, too, that Brand Beckham’s career will end, and David worries about what other material he will release. “They are worried about what they are going to do with this,” she says.

Many people are eager to hear both sides of the story, so it is still waiting for an official response from the main Beckham camp. But what can we expect in this regard, and will this be an all too familiar case of ‘ recollections may vary’?

The world is awaiting the Beckhams’ words, Mayah said. Their most effective tactic is restraint, which they are well-versed in when faced with a crisis. Silence is power when your brand equity is this high. Legal threats would start the fire, and retaliation would be a huge mistake. Interviewing would only serve to support the claims.

“The most likely strategy is what I call dignified containment. No comment, business as usual, a soft off-the-record briefing for trusted friends, and a press cycle that has already begun. Unless someone escalates it, this kind of story typically peaks within 72 hours. The fact that they’ve recently parted ways with their PR is interesting timing, but it doesn’t mean they’re exposed. This size of a brand has numerous advisers. Behind the scenes, this will be handled calmly.

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In the face of so many ” nepo baby ” jibes, could Nicola and Brooklyn have a great opportunity to come out with their own identity while Brand Beckham may be struggling? Although they have certainly gotten people talking, this may not be the wisest course of action in the long run.

Mayah considered: “On whether Brooklyn and Nicola can use this to establish their own brand, potentially yes, but only if they pivot quickly from grievance to purpose. Victimhood may open the door, but it doesn’t help a brand.

They would need a clear identity that isn’t defined by attacking his parents, which I’m not sure is what they want. Otherwise, they remain the anti-Beckhams, which is not a strong long-term position. “

Do you have a tale to tell? Contact me at julia@gmail.com. banim@reachplc.com. Follow Mirror Celebs on Threads, Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, and Snapchat.

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Emily Blunt has been wearing the opulent eye makeup for decades, and she just shared the exact products she uses to achieve the recognizable look, including this “long-lasting” eyeliner.

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Emily Blunt’s Devil Wears Prada character is best known for her distinctive smoky eye, which she has displayed off the set at various red carpet parties. The British actress most recently crowned her Golden Globes ensemble with the all-new classic eye makeup look, and her makeup artist has all the answers for fans who wonder how she came up with her signature aesthetic.

Emily’s red carpet glam was created by artist Jenn Streicher using only Charlotte Tilbury products, including this “long-lasting” and “so beautiful” eyeliner, which is a huge hit with beauty enthusiasts.

READ MORE: Stacey Solomon’s £10 Amazon purchase of the “best leggings ever” in every color.

READ MORE: Victoria Beckham’s priceless, white gold bracelet in sweet tribute to David

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Emily’s smoky eye is described as being a berry-brown eyeliner that is ideal for lining and defining your eyes while enhancing its color. The easy-to-blend, long-lasting formula of the liner is essential for giving any seductive eye makeup a seductive, dreamy-skinned definition.

This eyeliner’s formula features luxurious, velvety texture, emollient oils, and pure pigments for a smooth glide-and-go application and buildable intensity.

This shade Pillow Talk Charlotte Tilbury eyeliner, which retails for £24, has received a lot of love from celebrities and shoppers alike. Numerous beauty enthusiasts have joined Emily Blunt in making this eyeliner a staple part of their makeup routine, with an impressive 427 5-star rating on Charlotte Tilbury’s website.

One customer exclaims, “Absolutely love this eyeliner, I’ve used it for about 5 years, along with a few other Charlotte Tilbury ones, and I’ve always come back to this trusted eyeliner and would recommend it to anyone”!

Another customer comments, “Great eyeliner that stays put night and day.”

One reviewer does win two stars, saying, “I love the color of this, but I find it very difficult to work with.” It took me ages to blend it, and I discovered that sharpened bits smacked off.

However, this customer, who says, “Well, what can I say,” gets even more praise. I wear Charlotte’s eyeliner constantly. They never let up, don’t smudge, last all day, and have stunning colors.

Wildlife presenter Chris Packham has opened up about his childhood and how it impacted the way both he and his sister, fashion designer Jenny Packham, tackled their career goals

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Winterwatch star Chris Packham shared a heartbreaking family realisation. The 64-year-old says he and his sister, fashion designer Jenny Packham, both grew up trying to “satisfy” their parents.

Chris says his mum Rita and dad Colin put a “disproportionate amount of interest” in his own education, leading Jenny to “rebel” against them. However both grew up feeling as though they were “underachievers”, something Chris says made them work harder to “overachieve”.

By the time he became a teenager Chris says he “gave up” trying to impress his parents. On the Homing podcast, he recalled a moment he told Rita he had won a category in a photography contest, only for her to ask if he’d won the whole thing, before saying he can “keep trying”.

The TV presenter went on to say it was an attitude he felt was “harsh” but admits he “doesn’t think it was a bad thing”. When asked if Colin and Rita had ever said they were proud of him, Chris replied: “I don’t recall it to be fair.

” My father was a very fair man, you know. My father was a very fair man but he never saw a job as being finished. If you did something there was always obviously the next step.

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“So my dad would acknowledge that I had taken a step but then he would always be interested in what are you going to do next. ‘ Okay, top work, that’s good, now what are you going to move on to? ‘

” It was always about the next thing, and I think that’s a fair point, I’m not particularly interested in the past, I think I haven’t really achieved the things I wanted to achieve but I’m still trying. “

Chris however believes it is the early work ethic installed by his mum and dad that drove himself and Jenny to the height of their careers. He added:” We were two working class kids, we didn’t have anything, if we hadn’t got up and started doing stuff and worked really hard and believed in a meritocracy and invested in things where we thought we could develop skills and attributes that would allow us to achieve some of the things that we may have wanted to achieve then without that background of needing to always good the extra mile, hundred miles, neither of us would be doing what we’re doing. “

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Colin, according to Chris, is what gave birth to his passion for the outdoors. He claims that the pair would “go looking for wildlife or historical remnants” on Sunday morning.

After graduating from college, he took up the position of a part-time cameraman. Before moving on to work on Ourselves and Other Animals, he began his major career in 1983 with The Living Planet and The Living Isles.

His career however took a turn in 1986 when he went on to land a presenting job on The Really Wild Show with Michaela Strachan and Martin Hughes-Games. The long-running children’s TV show had a nine-year spell on the BBC.

He has helmed the BBC’s Springwatch and its fall and winter sister shows since 2009, respectively. Chris will be on BBC Two’s Winterwatch tonight (January 20) starting at 7 p.m.

Brooklyn Beckham has fired a series of explosive allegations at his parents in a shocking six-page statement – including the claim that his mother Victoria danced ‘inappropriately on him’ after ‘hijacking’ his first dance with new wife Nicola Peltz

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Brooklyn Beckham’s feud with his family exploded on Monday night when he took to Instagram to make a series of blistering allegations against his parents – and now one guest at his now-contentious wedding has spoken out.

The 26-year-old shared a six-page statement laying out in extraordinary detail his anger with David and Victoria. His allegations include claims that his parents tried to derail his wedding to Nicola Peltz, that his fashion designer mother “cancelled making Nicola’s dress in the eleventh hour”, and that his family values “public promotion and endorsements above all else”. He wrote: “Brand Beckham comes first,” adding that “family ‘love’ is decided by how much you post on social media”.

READ MORE: Beckham war exposed from ‘power trips to emotional coercion and nasty nicknames’READ MORE: Glaring signs Brooklyn Beckham didn’t write statement as Nicola’s ‘true colours’ surface

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Perhaps one of the most extraordinary allegations is that not only did Victoria hijack his first dance with Nicola at their wedding, but that she “danced very inappropriately” on her son. “My mum hijacked my first dance with my wife, which had been planned weeks in advance to a romantic love song,” Brooklyn claimed.

“In front of our 500 wedding guests, Marc Anthony called me to the stage, where in the schedule was planned to be my romantic dance with my wife but instead my mum was waiting to dance with me instead. In front of everyone, she danced very inappropriately on me. I’ve never felt more uncomfortable or humiliated in my entire life. We wanted to renew our vows so we could create new memories of our wedding day that bring us joy and happiness, not anxiety and embarrassment. “

Now a guest who was present at the nuptials – held in April 2022 at Nicola’s family’s Oceanfront Palm Beach estate – has revealed their account from that moment. And they are backing Brooklyn.

Stavros Agapiou (right in the photo) is the partner of top British DJ Fat Tony (left), who was asked to perform at the reception. He spoke about the much-talked about dance in an Instagram comment, writing: “I was there and she did, he’s telling the truth. ” The bombshell comment has since been deleted and Stavros has instead posted, “Good on him for finally speaking out! “

It’s not the first time Brooklyn and Nicola’s wedding dance has made headlines. A report from People in May 2025 claimed that Victoria made Nicola cry after taking over the dance. “Marc Anthony, who is a friend of the Beckhams, offered to perform as a gift at the wedding.

Before the song began, Marc Anthony asked Brooklyn to come to the stage, and then announced, ‘The most beautiful woman in the room tonight, come on up, Victoria Beckham!'” a source said. Another source added: “It was such a jaw-dropping moment that it left the whole room in absolute shock — you could hear a pin drop.”

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When Victoria began slow dancing with her son, guests were shocked, according to the report. One source claimed that one source thought it was inappropriate, while another claimed that Nicole had reportedly seen her leave the room crying. A source added: “Nicola felt like Victoria did this on purpose, when she knew it was a pre-planned romantic dance meant for Brooklyn and Nicola. Why, she couldn’t figure out, was what. “

However, Vogue has contradicted the claim – stating that the newlyweds’ first dance was to South African singer Lloyiso’s rendition of Elvis Presley’s Can’t Help Falling in Love and that Marc Anthony took to the stage much later at 11pm to perform his track I Need To Know. According to the statement, “Brooklyn invited his mother to dance, and David and their 10-year-old daughter, Harper, were there.” “

David and Victoria are yet to comment on Brooklyn’s allegations, but sources close to the couple have told the Mirror that Victoria has been left heartbroken by their son’s actions, while David is ‘angry’. Victoria is shocked to pieces that her son would do this, Victoria says. Everyone is shocked, they said. “But Victoria is totally in pieces over this. She worries, too, that Brand Beckham’s career will end with accusations of falsehood and pretended relationships, just like David. They are concerned about what else he will release. “

I’ve been silent for years and made every effort to keep these things private, Brooke said in her explosive statement. Unfortunately, my parents and their team continue to target journalists, leaving me with no choice but to speak up for myself and expose only a small percentage of lies. I do not want to reconcile with my family. For the first time in my life, I’m standing up for myself instead of being controlled.

My parents have controlled the stories about our family that have been published in the press for my entire life. The performative social media posts, family events and inauthentic relationships have been a fixture of the life I was born into. Recently, I’ve seen with my own eyes how frequently they lie in the media, largely at the expense of innocent people, to maintain their own image. But I think truth is always revealed.

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Since before my wedding, my parents have tried incessantly to break us, and they haven’t stopped. Despite her great enthusiasm for wearing her design, my mother had to rush out and buy Nicola’s dress in the eleventh hour. Weeks before our big day, my parents repeatedly pressured and attempted to bribe me into signing away the rights to my name, which would have affected me, my wife, and our future children.

They resisted me signing before my wedding date because that would set off the agreement’s terms. The payday was affected by my holdout, and they haven’t treated me similarly since. During the wedding planning, my mum went so far as to call me “evil” because Nicola and I chose to include my Nanny Sandra, and Nicola’s Naunni at our table, because they both didn’t have their husbands. Our parents both had tables that were equally close to ours.

Members of my family informed me that Nicola was “not blood” and “not family” the night before our wedding. Since the moment I started standing up for myself with my family, I’ve received endless attacks from my parents, both privately and publicly, that were sent to the press on their orders. My brothers and I were sent to fight each other on social media, but they never managed to stop me. My mother cheated on my wife’s first dance, which had been scheduled weeks in advance for a romantic love song.

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“In front of our 500 wedding guests, Marc Anthony called me to the stage, where in the schedule was planned to be my romantic dance with my wife but instead my mum was waiting to dance with me instead. In front of everyone, she danced very inappropriately on me. I’ve never felt more uncomfortable or humiliated in my entire life. We wanted to renew our vows so we could create new memories of our wedding day that bring us joy and happiness, not anxiety and embarrassment.

No matter how hard we’ve worked together as a family, my wife has consistently been disrespected by my family. My mum has repeatedly invited women from my past into our lives in ways that were clearly intended to make us both uncomfortable. Despite this, we were turned down for a week as we waited in our hotel room while planning meaningful time with my dad in London. With 100 guests and cameras circling every corner, he refused to cooperate with our attempts, unless it was at his grand birthday party.

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“Nicola wasn’t invited when he finally agreed to see me,” he said. A slap in the face was used. Later, when my family travelled to LA, they refused to see me at all. Prior to everything else, my family values public relations and endorsements. First is Brandy Beckham. Family “love” is decided by how much you post on social media, or how quickly you drop everything to show up and pose for a family photo op even if it’s at the expense of our professional obligations.

“We’ve gone out of our way for years to show up and support at every fashion show, every party, and every press activity to show “our perfect family!” But the one time my wife asked for my mum’s support to save displaced dogs during the LA fires, my mum refused. The narrative that my wife controls me is completely backwards. I have been controlled by my parents for most of my life.