David Beckham says his love of the rural lifestyle was inspired by ‘modern day caveman’ Guy Ritchie as he guest edits Country Life magazine

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David Beckham revealed he decided to embrace a country life after being impressed by how much Guy Ritchie enjoyed being outdoors, describing Ritchie as someone who lives like a ‘modern-day caveman’.

After buying a large country house in the Cotswolds for £6 million in December 2016, the 50-year-old former footballer decided he wanted to embrace the lifestyle of a country gentleman.

Ever since then, David, who was born and raised in east London, has been sharing his passions – beekeeping, gardening, and raising chickens – with his followers on social media.

The father of four recently shared that his friend, 57-year-old Hollywood director Guy, was a major influence on his decision to embrace a country lifestyle.

David is guest editing the 50th-anniversary issue of Country Life magazine and shares what inspired him in the upcoming edition.

In this week’s issue, publishing on Wednesday, David shares how Guy encouraged him to embrace country living.

I’ve fallen completely for this man – he’s like a breath of fresh, wild air! He’s truly reconnected me with the beauty of the countryside, showing me things I never fully appreciated before. We spend hours just sitting by the fire, lost in conversation late into the night, and those moments are everything.

Guy is the perfect country host, and he’s completely devoted to his beautiful home in Wiltshire. He really showed me how wonderful the countryside could be, and that’s a big part of why I fell in love with it.

He’s one of my closest friends and a huge inspiration. I’m constantly learning from him – about everything from life and the outdoors, to people, politics, history, and what it means to be British.

During the lockdown, David took up beekeeping as a country hobby. He built a beehive himself at his home near Chipping Norton.

He shared with Men’s Health that he gets emotional when he’s looking at the honey after harvesting it in his kitchen.

David mentioned enjoying a simple life in the Cotswolds, including tending to his chickens, gardening, spending time with friends, and relaxing with a drink.

I really enjoyed having the chickens and a garden at our country house. It’s something I’m very proud to have done.

David, following Guy’s lead in embracing country life, also purchased an outdoor BBQ tent. He bought it directly from Guy’s company, WildKitchens.

The tent is a key feature of Guy’s luxury outdoor kitchen setup. It’s a WildTent – a stylish, marquee-like structure – and comes with the WildTable, a premium grill and dining combination.

The Beckhams have a large outdoor setup with a spacious ‘double tent’ that can comfortably seat over a dozen people. It features a twelve-person table and a grill for cooking.

David recently told Hello! magazine that his family loves spending weekends in the countryside. He explained they grill outdoors every Saturday, starting at 11 AM and often continuing until midnight.

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2025-10-20 03:48