Yahoo News Rebecca Loos ‘crisis talks’: Why did David Beckham and Victoria speak about affair allegations?
David and Victoria Beckham have spoken openly about their hurt following the Rebecca Loos scandal 20 years after the alleged affair rocked the showbiz world to its core.
It begs the question: why now?
Rebecca Loos scandal
The footballer's personal assistant Loos sold her story to the now defunct newspaper News of the World in which she made sensational claims that she had an affair with the married star in 2004. David and Victoria have always denied the allegations.
As yoga teacher Loos has moved on with her life and hidden away in Norway, her name has hit headlines once again. But this time, 20 years on, the Beckhams have tackled the affair allegations as Victoria opened up about the hurt the claims have caused her for the first time.
PR culture expert Andy Barr, co-founder of PR agency 10 Yetis Digital, has shared the "crisis" management reasoning behind why the Beckhams have shared their side of the story in their hotly-talked about Netflix series Beckham.
Andy told Yahoo: "Crisis comms 101 is to try and get ahead of a negative story. With the Beckhams on a new publicity drive there is a good chance questions about this would have come up time and time again.
"With this in mind they have tried to address the elephant in the room in a dignified and non-tabloid manner. They have been able to control the narrative and avoid the more juicy details spilling out by doing it this way."
Victoria’s hurt
In a moment of vulnerability in the docu-series, Mrs Beckham fought back the tears while talking about the impact the headlines had on her personally. PR guru Mr Barr revealed those moments have struck a chord with viewers at home.
Mr Barr said: "Viewers are clearly feeling her pain and this is evident by the outpouring of love that is aimed her way. My WhatsApp was awash with group conversations about the documentary and how moving it was.
"Victoria has shaken off that cold and abrupt image she was forced to have by the record label stylists and her true, funny, vulnerable and positive character is now great to see in all its glory. It has reinforced them as a national treasure and a couple that the whole of the UK should be truly proud of."
David and Victoria’s marriage
It is no secret that the high-profile couple have won the hearts of viewers as they spoke openly about the hardest moments in their 24-year marriage, as well as sharing their most romantic moments including their star-studded wedding and honeymoon.
Shedding light on these moments in the documentary, PR expert Mr Barr said: "Opening up in this way shows how down to earth the couple are. Everyone has high and low points in their marriage but very few people have the same level of media intrusion as The Beckhams.
"This kind of openness makes them feel more relatable, more likeable and reinforced the belief that they are just normal people with the same problems that we all face in day to day life.
"Yes, they can cry about their issues into fifty pound notes whereas the rest of us only have givers but if you take the money out of the equation, they come across as humble, likeable and relatable."
Brand Beckham
The whole family stood united on the red carpet as they showed their support for the Netflix series.
And days after the docu-series hit the small screen, Brand Beckham has never been stronger. Mr Barr explained why: "Two, really have become one and they are a magnificent marketing example of how a couple have united to become a powerful brand.
"Right now "nostalgia" based marketing is the big success of the last few years. Think Top Gun, think Barbie and I would argue that the Beckhams are also now part of the nostalgia movement. Victoria has an army of fans from her music and fashion career and David played football during what was said by many to be the Golden Generation of English football.
"They are national heroes who did good over here and then took that positive vibe over to America and succeeded over there. Success in America has historically been hard for UK talent but they have both done us proud."
What the Beckhams said
Here are what the Beckhams said in their own words about the allegations made by Loos and the impact the headlines had on their marriage...
Mrs Beckham said: "It was the hardest period because it felt like the world was against us. Here’s the thing — we were against each other if I’m being completely honest. You know, up until Madrid sometimes it felt like us against everybody else but we were together, we were connected, we had each other.
"But when we were in Spain, it didn’t really feel like we had each other either. And that’s sad. I can’t even begin to tell you how hard it was and how it affected me. It was a nightmare. It was an absolute circus — and everyone loves it when the circus comes to town right? Unless you’re in it."
Her husband added: "Victoria is everything to me, to see her hurt was incredibly difficult. But we're fighters, and at that time we needed to fight for each other, we needed to fight for our family, but it was worth fighting for. Ultimately it is our private life."
Beckham is streaming on Netflix.
