Beckham joins family as he denies affair
England football captain David Beckham was today expected to join his family on holiday after dismissing claims he had an affair with his personal assistant.
Wife Victoria jetted off for an Easter break in Switzerland yesterday afternoon as the furore surrounding the allegations grew.
Intimate details of an alleged relationship between the soccer star and 26-year-old Rebecca Loos were published in the News of the World.
The newspaper also printed explicit phone text messages which it claimed were sent between Beckham and his then employee.
But the England captain immediately issued a statement describing the claims as “ludicrous” and insisting he was happily married.
His 29-year-old wife, also known as Posh from her days with the Spice Girls, left London yesterday with her parents, brother and two sons, Brooklyn and Romeo.
Beckham, 28, was training with his Real Madrid team-mates in Spain yesterday when news of the story broke.
He was due to have a couple of days off and was expected to fly out to join his family either last night or today.
In a statement, released via his agent Caroline McAteer, Beckham said: “During the past few months I have become accustomed to reading more and more ludicrous stories about my private life.
“What appeared this morning is just one further example.
“The simple truth is that I am very happily married, have a wonderful wife and two very special kids.
“There is nothing that any third party can do to change these facts.”
But a spokeswoman for the News of the World insisted: “We fully appreciate the significance of the report and stand by our story 100%.”
According to the newspaper, Beckham became close to Ms Loos as she helped him and his family settle into their new life in Spain.
She worked for the SFX Group, the sports personality management company which looked after the Beckhams.
The reports alleged Beckham invited Ms Loos back to his Madrid hotel room on September 18 last year after a night out drinking.
This was reported to be one in a series of four meetings, before the footballer broke off both his relations with SFX and with Ms Loos last December.
The newspaper said he never saw her again, but it printed a series of explicit text messages which were reportedly sent between the football star and Ms Loos as recently as last month.
The alleged revelations were told via a “family friend” of Ms Loos.
When approached by the newspaper, Ms Loos is reported to have said: “I am afraid I have no comment for you. Please leave me alone.”
Ms Loos telephoned her brother, John, yesterday and confirmed that she did have an affair with Beckham, according to reports today.
John was reported as saying: “She has confirmed to me she had an affair with David.”
He added: “Rebecca was upset when she parted company with David and Victoria last year.
“She became very down and cried a lot. At times she looked heartbroken.
“I thought it was because of professional reasons. But now I am beginning to understand there must have been more to it.”
Commenting on the reports, publicist Max Clifford said: “I have been aware that this has been ongoing for some months, ever since the News of the World did the original investigation back in September.”
Speculation over the Beckhams’ marriage first surfaced last September after the footballer’s transfer to Spain.
Beckham was pictured with Ms Loos, but he and his wife issued a statement insisting their relationship was fine.
The Beckhams have spent a considerable amount of time apart in recent months.
Beckham’s father, Ted, later refused to comment on the allegations, simply saying: “I have nothing to say. Nothing at all.”
