Victoria Beckham has opened up for the first time about her long struggle with an eating disorder, revealing that she became “very good at lying” to hide how severe it was.
In a new three-part Netflix documentary about her life, the former Spice Girl, WAG and now high-end fashion designer shares how she began to starve herself in an attempt to regain control after leaving the chart-topping pop group that made her famous.
Beckham, now 51, says her difficulties with food began as a teenager in theatre school, where she was repeatedly criticised over her appearance. Her mother, Jackie Adams, recalled those early years, saying: “If you’re told you’re overweight, you’d be hurt. It’s a silly thing to say to a young person: ‘you’re fat’.”
Victoria said that years of public scrutiny left deep marks on her confidence. “I’ve been everything from ‘Porky Posh’ to ‘Skinny Posh’,” she said in the series. One particularly painful memory came after she gave birth to her eldest son, Brooklyn Beckham.
“‘Get on those scales’... ‘Have you lost the weight?’ We laugh about it and we joke about it when we’re on television, but I was really, really young and that hurts,” she recalled. “I really started to doubt myself and not like myself because I let it affect me. I didn’t know what I saw when I looked in the mirror. You lose all sense of reality.”
According to a friend quoted in The Sun, Beckham’s decision to speak so openly marks a turning point. “In her younger years, before she found the gym and true happiness with her career and family, she was incredibly rigid with her food, and borderline anorexic,” the friend said. “She largely replaced solid food with liquids and would also run quite obsessively.”
The source added that Beckham had been pressured by management during her Spice Girls years to lose weight, which led to bingeing and self-punishment. “She was so badly hurt by all the nasty things being said about her, and like so many women, tried to reclaim control by what went in and out of her body.”
The documentary premiered in London on Wednesday, with three of her four children — Romeo, Harper, and Cruz Beckham — in attendance. Brooklyn Beckham, however, was notably absent amid reports of ongoing tension within the family.
Three of Victoria’s former Spice Girls bandmates — Geri Horner (Ginger Spice), Mel C (Sporty Spice), and Emma Bunton (Baby Spice) — also turned up to support her.
For Beckham, the documentary represents a major moment of vulnerability. Once known for her icy public persona and razor-sharp self-control, she now says she’s determined to be open about her past struggles in the hope that others might relate.
The series, which premieres on Netflix this week, offers an unfiltered look at Beckham’s journey from global pop icon to one of Britain’s most recognisable fashion figures — and the toll fame took on her physical and emotional health.
If you or someone you know is affected by an eating disorder or body image issue, help and support are available in Ireland through:
Bodywhys – The Eating Disorders Association of Ireland: Free helpline at 01 210 7906 or visit bodywhys.ie
Samaritans Ireland: Call 116 123, available 24/7 for anyone in distress
Pieta House: Freephone 1800 247 247 or text HELP to 51444
