A former Man United team-mate of David Beckham’s has accused the superstar of putting ‘Brand Beckham’ before his own children after Brooklyn’s jaw-dropping statement on Monday.
The eldest son of David and Victoria, 26, at last broke his silence about the feud which has torn the family apart with an explosive outburst on Instagram.
Brooklyn accused his parents of ‘endlessly trying’ to ruin his marriage to Nicola Peltz, 31, of ‘valuing public promotion above all else’ and of ‘placing countless lies in the media’ in an impassioned rant which shook the family to the core.
It’s understood that David and Victoria’s celebrity friends were quick to get in touch and share their sadness about Brooklyn’s post, which they believe was cruelly designed to upset them.
However former Red Devils defender John O’Kane, who claims to have lived with David during their time at the club between 1989 and 1998, has taken a very different view.
The 51-year-old launched a scathing attack of his own against Beckham in the aftermath of Brooklyn’s, with a post on X reading: ‘I lived with Beckham for few years… Let’s just say he likes to be in TOTAL CONTROL and was OBSESSIVE on PERFECTION.
Brooklyn Beckham, 26, launched an astonishing attack on his parents with a statement released on Instagram on Monday
Brooklyn accused his parents of ‘endlessly trying’ to ruin his marriage to Nicola Peltz, 31, of ‘valuing public promotion above all else’ and of ‘placing countless lies in the media’
Now John O’Kane, a former team-mate of Beckham’s, has weighed in on the feud
‘If it took Brooklyn to say this and burn (fire emoji) down the so-called perfect family. Brand Beckham should not come before your kids no matter what has happened!!’
O’Kane made seven appearances for United’s first-team having progressed through the club’s youth system alongside Beckham, who made his debut as part of the famous Class of ’92.
The former Real Madrid star looked weary-eyed on Tuesday morning as he posed for a promo photo at the World Economic Forum less than 24 hours after Brooklyn’s tell-all statement was released.
David and Victoria are yet to respond with a post of their own, but their eldest revealed he has no intentions of reconciling amid their fallout which is thought to have begun in 2022.
Brooklyn began: ‘I have been silent for years and made every effort to keep these matters private.
‘Unfortunately my parents and their team have continued to go to the press, leaving me with no choice but to speak for myself and tell the truth about only some of the lies that have been printed.
‘I do not want to reconcile with my family. I’m not being controlled, I’m standing up for myself for the first time in my life.
‘For my entire life, my parents have controlled narratives in the press about our family.
O’Kane, who claims to have lived with Beckham during their days as scholars together, accused the ex-Real Madrid man of putting the ‘Beckham brand’ before his children
‘The performative social media posts, family events and inauthentic relationships have been a fixture of the life I was born into.
‘Recently, I have seen with my own eyes the lengths that they’ll go through to place countless lies in the media, mostly at the expense of innocent people, to preserve their own facade. But I believe the truth always come out.’
Brooklyn went on to address his wedding to Nicola, claiming there had been repeated attempts to ruin their relationship.
He wrote: ‘My parents have been trying endlessly to ruin my relationship since before my wedding, and it hasn’t stopped.
‘My mum cancelled making Nicola’s dress in the eleventh hour despite how excited she was to wear her design, forcing her to urgently find a new dress.’
‘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 were adamant on me signing before my wedding date because then the terms of the deal would be initiated.
‘My holdout affected the payday, and they have never treated me the same 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. Both of our parents had their own tables equally adjacent to ours.
‘The night before our wedding, members of my family told me that Nicola was “not blood” and “not family.”
‘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.
‘Even my brothers were sent to attack me on social media, before they ultimately blocked me out of nowhere this last summer.’
Brooklyn claimed his parents have been trying to end his marriage to Nicola Peltz (pictured) and that Victoria ‘humiliated’ him on his wedding day
Brooklyn went on to address why they were not present at his father’s 50th birthday party in May last year.
Victoria pulled out all the stops for David’s big day, starting with a family party at their Cotswolds pile, followed by a 24 hour trip to his favourite vineyard in France, all topped off by a star-studded dinner at a London restaurant.
While the family celebrated with A-list pals including Tom Cruise and David’s former teammates at three Michelin-star Core in Kensington, West London, the absence of the footballer’s eldest son was glaringly obvious.
Brooklyn said: ‘My wife has been consistently disrespected by my family, no matter how hard we’ve tried to come together as one. My mum has repeatedly invited women from my past into our lives in ways that were clearly intended to make us both uncomfortable.’
Romeo started dating Kim Turnbull – a model previously linked to Brooklyn. She attended some family events before they split last year, but later reconciled.
Brooklyn continued: ‘Despite this, we still travelled to London for my dad’s birthday and were rejected for a week as we waited in our hotel room trying to plan quality time with him. He refused all of our attempts, unless it was at his big birthday party with a hundred guests and cameras at every corner.
‘When he finally agreed to see me, it was under the condition that Nicola wasn’t invited. It was a slap in the face. Later, when my family travelled to LA, they refused to see me at all.’
Brooklyn concluded: ‘My family values public promotion and endorsements above all else. Brand Beckham comes first.
‘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.
‘I grew up with overwhelming anxiety. For the first time in my life, since stepping away from my family, that anxiety has disappeared. I wake up every morning grateful for the life I chose, and have found peace and relief.
Brooklyn revealed he has no intention of reconciling his differences with his family
‘My wife and I do not want a life shaped by image, press, or manipulation. All we want peace, privacy and happiness for us and our future family.’
Daily Mail has contacted the Beckhams for comment.
The Daily Mail revealed that relations between the Beckhams broke down so completely last summer that at one point, Brooklyn asked his parents to contact him only via their respective lawyers, Schillings and Harbottle & Lewis.
One source told the Mail: ‘David was told to speak to them via Schillings. That was the only way for them to communicate.’
It’s understood that Brooklyn doesn’t want his parents to contact him directly, or make public statements about him on social media.
There was no legal action between them – and no legal basis for the letter, which was simply a request.
However, Brooklyn still remains in regular contact with both sets of grandparents.
