As the Beckham civil war rumbles on, Gordon Smart has shared his experiences meeting the famous family on the latest episode of the Daily Mail’s Whistleblowers podcast.
Host Smart, 45, is the former Showbusiness Editor of The Sun newspaper and has developed a close professional relationship with David Beckham since his playing days at Manchester United.
Speaking to referee Mark Clattenburg and Football Editor Ian Ladyman, Smart revealed he and his wife Kate spent an emotional evening with David and his son Brooklyn on a trip they took together to Glastonbury.
Smart said Brooklyn shed tears with his wife having bonded over growing up in the shadows of famous fathers. Kate Smart is the daughter of Jim Leishman, former Dunfermline Athletic manager and an iconic figure in Scottish football.
Smart revealed he and his wife Kate spent an emotional evening with David and his son Brooklyn on a trip they took together to Glastonbury
Smart is the former Showbusiness Editor of The Sun newspaper and has developed a close professional relationship with David Beckham since his playing days at Manchester United
The eldest Beckham son made headlines this week after publishing a lengthy Instagram post accusing his mother and father of attempting to sabotage his marriage to Nicola Peltz, daughter of billionaire investor Nelson Peltz.
‘My wife’s dad was a famous football guy in the eighties and nineties’, Gordon began.
‘When he left Dunfermline, there were big protests about him leaving the club. The family had to go into a safe house at one point. It was a really big moment in Scottish football.
‘My wife feels like she’s lived in the shadow of her dad, who’s a huge personality, a very flamboyant guy. It has been hard for her to cope with at certain points in her life.
‘We once ended up on this Glastonbury trip with the Beckhams, and my wife spent a lot of it with Brooklyn. They had this bond together.
‘Even though it’s nowhere near the same level, they knew how each other felt living in the shadow of a famous parent. They really hit it off. Brooklyn got quite tearful and opened up about a lot of the stuff that was going on.
‘I came away from it all thinking: is it all really worth the money and fame?’
The eldest Beckham son made headlines this week after publishing a lengthy Instagram post accusing his mother and father of attempting to sabotage his marriage to Nicola Peltz (L)
In his bombshell Instagram post, Brooklyn, 26, accused his parents of years of mistreatment.
He claimed Victoria cancelled making his wife’s wedding dress ‘at the eleventh hour’, that David and Victoria pressured him to sign away rights to his name, and that instead of his first dance with Nicola, his mother danced ‘inappropriately’ on him in front of 500 guests.
Despite believing the Beckhams are ‘really good parents’ based on what he has seen, Smart said he understands why Brooklyn has chosen to lash out.
He was, however, skeptical about the influence of the Peltz family, questioning whether Brooklyn’s public statements might be driven by what he sees as their hunger for fame.
‘It must have been incredibly difficult for Brooklyn’, he argued.
‘His entire life, since he was a foetus, he has been a news story. Used as a commodity to earn money. Now he’s 26, maybe he’s finding his voice.
‘You find your voice when you have got the support of somebody who really loves you. Maybe that’s what his marriage has provided.
‘What clouds that slightly for me is a hunger for fame, which I understand to be the Peltz family’s ambition. Being a part of the Beckham circus raises their profile.
‘For me, Brooklyn is just a daft, impressionable laddie who is really struggling to forge his own identity.’
To hear Gordon tell more insider stories about the Beckhams, search for Whistleblowers now, wherever you get your podcasts – or watch on YouTube.
