Victoria Beckham reveals lifelong struggle with an eating disorder and ‘Porky Spice’ label that pushed her to ‘incredibly unhealthy’ lengths – as she recalls humiliation of David bailing out her business

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Victoria Beckham has shared that she battled an eating disorder and became skilled at concealing it, even from her family.

Victoria Beckham, previously known as Posh Spice, reveals in her new Netflix documentary that she struggled with her body image and developed unhealthy habits to control her weight, admitting she ‘didn’t like’ how she looked.

Fashion designer Victoria Beckham, 51, is speaking out for the first time about the pain she experienced from being body shamed. This started during her teenage years at theatre school, but she kept it a secret even from her parents, Tony and Jackie.

Victoria shared that filming the series made her question who she was and struggle with self-doubt. It affected her so deeply that she didn’t recognize herself when she looked in the mirror.

I was so focused on my weight, I lost touch with what was real. I was incredibly self-critical and never felt satisfied with how I looked. I’ve gone through phases of being both larger and very thin, and dealing with all those changes was really difficult.

It’s like, everyone was suddenly talking about me, snapping pictures… and I just felt completely out of control. I needed *something* I could control, you know? And for some reason, it became what I wore, how much I ate… I started obsessing over my weight, and honestly, it wasn’t healthy at all. I was just trying to grab onto something, anything, to feel like *I* was in charge.

People with eating disorders often become skilled at keeping secrets. I definitely hid mine from my parents and wasn’t truthful with them about what was going on.

I’ve never discussed this openly, but it’s deeply impactful. Hearing you’re not good enough repeatedly takes a toll, and honestly, it’s something I’ve dealt with my entire life.

Victoria Beckham, famous as a member of the Spice Girls in the mid-1990s, remembers a time when she was publicly weighed on live television by Chris Evans. This happened on his Channel 4 show, TFI Friday, just months after she had her first child, Brooklyn, in 1999, to see if she’d lost the weight gained during pregnancy.

She appeared happy then, but now she’s sharing how difficult it was being a new mother at 25.

Victoria recalls a painful experience from her youth: being publicly weighed on national television. While people laughed and joked about it at the time, she says it was deeply hurtful for her, as she was very young.

Victoria’s struggles with body confidence started in her teens when she was accepted into the Laine Theatre school in Epsom, Surrey. She shares that her parents supported her dream by remortgaging their home in Goffs Oak, Hertfordshire, to cover the costs.

She explained that despite her efforts, she wasn’t a particularly strong dancer or singer. She also mentioned feeling different from her peers.

She explains that she didn’t fit the typical mold of other girls, and that’s when people began to criticize how she looked and her weight.

I recall a teacher at my theatre school telling me that, if we weren’t considered visually appealing enough after a performance, we’d be quickly ushered in through the back—basically, hidden from view.

Victoria’s mother, Jackie, also shared that her daughter was told she was overweight and would be placed at the back as a result.

She added; ‘It must have affected her, it’s a very silly thing to say to someone, “you’re fat.”‘

The documentary chronicles Victoria as she prepares for her Paris Fashion Week show in September 2024, which was the most ambitious event she’d ever organized.

The weather had everyone worried – including her and the team at her record label – as they thought they might have to cancel everything.

Oh my gosh, you guys, it’s *amazing*! This show doesn’t just show you what she’s doing *now* – it takes you all the way back! You see her as a Spice Girl, then when she was with a footballer – a WAG, as they call it – and then everything leading up to the incredible fashion designer she is today. It’s a total journey, and I’m obsessed!

Victoria is refreshingly honest, and she sometimes struggles to hold back tears when discussing challenging moments from her past.

Amongst them was when her VB label was millions in the red and was on the verge of closure.

Since its 2008 debut, her business repeatedly required financial assistance from her husband, David, leading to public ridicule.

Oh my gosh, you guys, Victoria *finally* opened up about how absolutely devastated she was when the company – the London one! – was almost lost. She even admitted it was so embarrassing for her! I’ve been following her for years and I can’t believe she’s sharing this now. It just makes me love her even more, knowing how much this meant to her and how she dealt with it.

This business isn’t just my job, it’s a huge part of who I am, but getting here hasn’t been easy. I nearly lost everything, and that was a really difficult period in my life, she explained.

I was so stressed about the company’s massive debt – we were losing tens of millions of dollars – that I used to cry before going to work each day. It felt like we were constantly battling a crisis.

I’m heading home to my husband, but also to my business partner, and I needed to discuss this with him. The fact that he was financially involved really bothered me; I truly disliked the situation.

David, age 51, a frequent commentator on the show, then shared: ‘We were both looking at my investments, and that conversation really hurt me, because Victoria is a very proud person.’

When we first got together, she was significantly wealthier than I was and ended up purchasing our first home, a place called Beckingham Palace in Hertfordshire.

It was difficult for both of us when she had to ask me for more money for the business.

I ran out of money and realized I couldn’t keep going on like this.

Victoria explained that she was facing complete disaster – her house was falling apart and her business was failing. She desperately needed financial help and someone to support her.

I was completely overwhelmed trying to keep the business afloat, and it was really taking a toll on my well-being. I felt ashamed to admit it, but it’s true. My distress wasn’t based on what I thought – it was a direct result of people being unkind.

‘I was in a whole, I felt like I was in quicksand. I was desperate. Really, really desperate.’

Victoria Beckham later connected with David Belhassen, whose firm, Neo Investments, had invested £30 million in her brand in 2017.

The mother of four didn’t mention her strained relationship with her oldest son, Brooklyn, 26. However, he and his wife, Nicola Peltz, 30, appear in the background of footage taken at a Paris fashion show last year. The video also includes touching photos and clips of Brooklyn as a baby and young child.

Her other sons make brief appearances, but a highlight of the show is when her 14-year-old daughter, Harper, playfully teaches her mom a dance to Chic’s “Le Freak” for a TikTok video – it’s one of the funniest scenes.

Victoria Beckham, known as Posh, says she’s always remembered her roots and was deeply upset when the Spice Girls initially broke up in 2000 after Geri Halliwell’s departure.

Even though she and David were both recent newlyweds and new parents, she still felt lonely.

Looking back, the end of the Spice Girls was a really big shift for me. One moment I was out there championing girl power, and the next, I was settled down as a wife, living in Manchester, feeling quite isolated and far from my family. Honestly, that transition was incredibly tough. It was a huge adjustment going from that high-energy public life to something so much more domestic and private, and I really struggled with it at the time.

Being married to David was a wonderful gift, and our baby was a joy. However, I felt isolated and time seemed to drag. I even wondered if my career was over and if anyone would ever hire me for photoshoots again.

‘And I just kept thinking “what am I going to do?”‘

Victoria later started a career on her own, but she admits it made her self-conscious.

I’m not going to pretend I’m a fantastic singer or dancer, but it really stings when people are unkind, you’re constantly criticized, and you start to feel like you don’t measure up.

I became really aware of how others perceived me. I realized people saw me as unhappy and never smiling, and honestly, they weren’t far off the mark.

David recalls that when he first met Victoria, she was cheerful and self-assured, but he noticed those qualities began to fade over time.

Victoria reveals a surprising story about the 2006 World Cup, recalling how she and the other footballers’ wives famously caused some trouble while staying in the spa town of Baden Baden.

Like Cheryl Tweedy and Coleen Rooney, she was often spotted shopping and socializing instead of supporting the England team during their training and matches.

Victoria described a sudden realization – the moment she knew she would finally start her own fashion line, which she successfully launched two years afterward.

‘I buried those boobs in Baden Baden and became much more simple,’ she reveals.

But despite appearing happy when she talks about her trip to Germany, it is tinged with sadness.

We were having fun shopping and really feeling confident at the time,” she explains. “Looking at those photos now makes me happy, but if I’m honest with myself, I think part of it was wanting to be noticed.

I was going through a period where I didn’t feel creatively satisfied. I jumped from one topic to another – from the Spice Girls to the wives and girlfriends of footballers – as a way to stay engaged. Looking back, I realize I was actually searching for my identity. I felt lost, unhappy, and stuck, or at least, that’s how it felt then.

I was grateful for what I possessed and realized I needed a driving force in my life. I promised myself that if I ever got another chance, I wouldn’t let it slip away – I wouldn’t repeat past mistakes.

Victoria Beckham is released on Netflix on October 9. 

See all the pictures from the premiere here – as Victoria is a vision in white  

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2025-10-08 23:10