Beckham denies any affair with PA

Published on Monday 5 April 2004 01:00

THE marriage of Britain’s most famous celebrity couple is under fresh scrutiny after allegations that the England football captain David Beckham had an affair with his former personal assistant.

Newspaper reports said Beckham had an intimate relationship with Rebecca Loos, 26. The News of the World printed explicit telephone text messages which it claimed were sent by the Real Madrid player.

Beckham immediately denied the claims, which he described as "ludicrous". His wife, Victoria, clashed with photographers at London’s Heathrow Airport yesterday afternoon as she left for an Easter break in Switzerland with her parents, brother and two sons, Brooklyn and Romeo.

Police later confirmed that they were investigating allegations of assault following an "altercation".

The newspaper reports alleged that Beckham invited Ms Loos, who worked for the sports personality management company which looked after the Beckhams, back to his hotel after a night out drinking on 18 September last year.

This was reported to be one in a series of four meetings before the footballer broke off both his relations with Ms Loos and her SFX Group last December.

The News of the World claimed Beckham had not seen Ms Loos since then, but printed a series of explicit text messages between the pair, the most recent having been sent only last month.

Ms Loos’s brother yesterday said he had received a tearful telephone call from his sister admitting that the allegations were true. She had previously kept the affair secret from her loved ones.

Speaking from his family home in Madrid, John Loos, 28, said: "I had no idea Beckham was cheating on Victoria with my sister.

"I am overwhelmed with shock. My parents knew nothing of this. I would have known if they had.

"The first I knew something was up was when Rebecca phoned home early this morning and woke me up to warn me journalists may come knocking at my door later.

"I have spoken to her since and she has confirmed she had an affair with David."

John gave the impromptu press conference from the top terrace of his parent’s 550,000 family home in a leafy suburb of Madrid.

Reflecting back to when Ms Loos and the SFX Group stopped working with the Beckhams, Mr Loos said his sister was very upset at the time.

"She became very down and she cried a lot. At times, she looked heartbroken. I thought it was because of professional reasons - because she wasn’t working with Victoria anymore. But I’m now beginning to understand that there must have been more to it."

He added: "Rebecca hasn’t gone into details about the relationship. I’ve only spoken to her briefly on the phone a couple of times.

"And she’s made no mention of an apology for Victoria or the children. She may make a statement later but at the moment she sounds too upset to say much."

Meanwhile, David Beckham first heard of the revelations after a training session with his famous Real Madrid team-mates.

In a statement released via his agent, the footballer said: "During the past few months, I have become accustomed to reading more and more ludicrous stories about my private life. What appeared this morning is just one further example.

"The simple truth is that I am very happily married, have a wonderful wife and two very special kids. There is nothing that any third party can do to change these facts."

Beckham is suspended for Real Madrid’s crucial Champions League match in France against Monaco next week and will not travel for the match. However, a Real Madrid spokesman said that he will not be granted a holiday, or any compassionate leave, and will be expected to continue his club duties while the squad are away.

It is not yet clear whether the couple, who threatened to sue the Sunday Mirror last November over allegations that their marriage was in jeopardy, will take legal action against the News of the World. However, a spokeswoman for the newspaper said: "We fully appreciate the significance of the report and stand by our story 100 per cent."

The former Manchester United star and his ex-Spice Girl wife have been closely tracked by the media since their marriage in 1999, so much so that they have been dubbed "the new Royals".

Since moving to Spain, it has been claimed that the couple are struggling in both their personal and professional lives. The footballer has failed to become the integral part of the star-studded Real Madrid team that he was seen to be at Manchester United, while his wife has failed to progress with her solo career, with former Spice Girl colleague Mel C labelling her music "atrocious and weak".