Sir David Beckham has spoken about his ‘soft’ parenting style in an emotional interview about his home life with his wife, Victoria, and their children as the feud with their eldest son, Brooklyn, continues.
The fall out with Brooklyn, 26, came to a head in May after he and wife Nicola Peltz, 30, snubbed his father’s 50th celebrations, with both Cruz, 20, and Romeo, 23, unfollowing their brother and Nicola on Instagram.Â
Speaking on James Corden’s This Life of Mine podcast, in an episode released on Tuesday, David reflected on parenthood. Â
The football legend, 50, revealed he takes the opposite approach to his dad’s ‘tough love’ method.Â
David said: ‘I would like to say that I brought my children up with the same values as what my dad and mum taught me and my sisters.
‘My kids are very polite. My kids are very well mannered. My kids are humble and they all have the same values as what I have and my wife has. That’s the proudest thing that we have as parents, in all honesty.’
Sir David Beckham has spoken about his ‘soft’ parenting style in an emotional interview as the feud with their eldest son, Brooklyn, continues
The fall out with Brooklyn, 26, came to a head in May after he and wife Nicola Peltz, 30, snubbed his father’s 50th celebrations
The former England captain has Brooklyn, Romeo, Cruz, and Harper, 14, with Spice Girl turned fashion designer Victoria, 51, whom he married in 1999.
‘I am different with my kids – I’m a lot softer than my dad was,’ David added. ‘But there’s certain traits that I do have the same as my dad.’
The interview was recorded last year but released this week amid continued tension between David and Brooklyn, who was notably absent from his father’s knighthood ceremony at Windsor Castle last month.
The aspiring chef reportedly did not reach out to congratulate his father on achieving his life’s dream, instead choosing to promote his hot sauce brand Cloud23 while the ceremony took place.
David was joined at the historic occasion by his wife Victoria, 51, parents Ted and Sandra, and his three youngest children.
Brooklyn’s absence spoke volumes about the state of their relationship, with sources claiming he has become increasingly estranged from the family since marrying American actress Nicola. Â
David added: ‘Family has always been important and the greatest thing [Victoria] has ever given me is my four children. We created this life with four amazing children which are the most important things in our life.
He also said that although he’s not as strict as his dad, he uses his own method to keep them in check.
Asked how he has reacted when his sons – all of whom have played football with the Arsenal Academy – didn’t perform well on the pitch, he replied: ‘I go quiet, actually. And then the boys know exactly whether I’m happy or not happy.’
He recounted how during one match, he told his youngest son Cruz that if he played well and worked hard, they would stop at McDonald’s on the way home.
The interview was recorded last year but released this week amid continued tension between David and Brooklyn, who was absent from his father’s knighthood ceremony last month
David, 50, revealed he takes the opposite approach to his dad’s ‘tough love’ method
David and Victoria seen with their children Brooklyn, Romeo, Cruz and Harper last year before the family feud
‘And he played terrible! I looked up the field and I was like, “where is Cruz?” And he was literally break dancing at the other end of the pitch.
‘He came off the pitch and said,” Dad, how do you think I did?” I was like, “I mean, not great son”… He said, can we have McDonald’s? I was like, no, actually, we can’t. And I was starving. I actually fancied a Big Mac and chips.’
The interview also saw David pay tribute to his wife Victoria, crediting her as the backbone of their family unit. Reflecting on their relationship, David said: ‘We were only saying it the other day, you know, we actually quite like each other.
‘It’s important – after being together for so many years, we can still sit, have dinner, laugh, joke, or not say anything to each other. That’s an important part of being in a relationship.’
He said when they first met, ‘I didn’t realise what a strong woman she was. And that is what really attracted me to her more than anything.
‘Yes, she’s beautiful. Yes, she was sexy. Yes, I fancied her. But in all honesty, I like a strong woman and I like the fact that she works hard, I like the fact that she’s a great mum.’
Victoria recently spoke about the ‘changing dynamics’ in her family on the Call Me Daddy podcast, though she notably did not reference Brooklyn directly.
She emphasised the importance of communication and creating a ‘safe forum’ where her children can discuss any issues.
