Victoria Beckham hits back at claims she was ‘too posh to push’ when giving birth to son Brooklyn as she opens up about her ‘unsafe’ labour and terrifying kidnapping threats they received
She was famously nicknamed ‘too posh to push’ when she welcomed her first son Brooklyn via C-section in 1999.
But Victoria Beckham hit back at the taunts as she discussed the birth in her husband David’s new Netflix docuseries, BECKHAM.
The days leading up to her delivery were fraught, with David preparing for a grudge match against Argentine player Diego Simeone after their dramatic clash at the 1998 World Cup.
He flew to Italy to face Inter Milan in the Champions League quarter-final but was consumed by the fact that Victoria could welcome their first child at any moment.
It caused tension between the pair, with teammate Gary Neville recalling hearing the pair bickering on the phone.
Speaking out: Victoria Beckham hit back at claims she was ‘too posh to push’ on son Brooklyn’s birth as she discusses motherhood in David’s new BECKHAM docuseries
Shocking: Victoria revealed reaction to welcoming her first child, saying: ‘We were getting kidnapping threats from the moment we had Brooklyn and you can’t even explain what that feels like’
“They were towards each other, he was distracted,” Gary noted. Victoria said, “If you’re not here, if you miss this birth, if you’re not back…” and I said, “turn off your damn phone, you’ll be melted by the time.” We’re going to the game tonight.”
After a difficult start to the match, David was able to find solace in the crowd chanting his name, allowing Manchester United to push for a 2-0 win.
He was able to make it back in time for the birth of his first child and was by Victoria’s side for her caesarean section, with Victoria quickly clarifying: ‘I wasn’t too posh to push, I was told it wasn’t like that would be safe for me to give birth.’
Victoria has not indicated why it would not be safe to give birth vaginally.
The couple welcomed son Brooklyn on March 4, 1999 at Portland Hospital in London, with David calling fatherhood “the most amazing thing.”
But even the prospect of welcoming his first child wasn’t enough to stop him thinking about his image, with Victoria recalling that when the footballer was in labor and lay numb from the waist down in bed due to an epidural, had rudely asked if she could style his hair.
However, when he became a father his priorities changed, with David recalling: ‘I suddenly thought, ‘how am I going to protect him?’
‘That night Brooklyn slept next to Victoria, she said “come sleep on my bed” and I said “absolutely not”, I slept with my head towards the door because I was paranoid that someone would steal it.
“It was supposed to be a happy moment, and of course it was a happy moment, but I was worried. I didn’t want him to come into this life at a time when I was going through what I was going through.”
Loving father: The couple welcomed son Brooklyn on March 4, 1999 at Portland Hospital in London, with David calling fatherhood ‘the most amazing thing’
Safe in his arms: When he became a father his priorities changed, with David recalling: ‘I suddenly thought, ‘how am I going to protect him?’
Victoria expressed her fear for her young son, revealing: ‘We were getting kidnapping threats from the moment we had Brooklyn and you can’t even explain what that feels like because we couldn’t hide.
“These are all things that are coming back to me now and I’m finding it quite stressful now because I’ve blocked out so much of it and I think David has too.
‘Imagine having a baby and being threatened with death. David had to play knowing all this was going on and I was alone in an apartment with a baby.
“I went to the games with Brooklyn and the abuse was — it’s hard to explain.”
She recalled a particularly vulgar chant from fans, in which they shouted “Posh Spice is taking it in stride,” while Victoria admitted: “It’s embarrassing, it’s hurtful.”
‘I remember sitting down and the lady next to me turned around and she didn’t know what to say, she said, “Do you want a polo?” Because what do you say when you’re sitting next to someone and 75,000 people say you’re recording it?
‘We didn’t know what to do. it felt like we were drowning.”
Ironically, it was the abuse directed at his family that ‘spurred David on’, with the footballer improving his record.
David and Victoria welcomed three more children and are the proud parents of Brooklyn, 24, Romeo, 21, Cruz, 18, and Harper, 12.
BECKHAM can be streamed on Netflix from October 4 from 8am.
Family: David and Victoria share four children, Brooklyn, 24, Romeo, 21, Cruz, 18, and Harper, 12, and have amassed an estimated fortune of £380 million