Beckham denies affair with Dutch woman

5 April 2004

AMSTERDAM — British soccer star David Beckham has denied he had an affair with former personal assistant Rebecca Loos, the daughter of a Dutch diplomat.

The Real Madrid player issued a statement insisting he was happily married to wife Victoria, a former member of the pop group Spice Girls.

Sources close to Beckham have also reportedly hinted that he is considering asking the British media complaints commission to review the allegation which was first printed in a tabloid newspaper.

Britain’s News of the World claimed on Sunday he had a three-month affair with the 26-year-old Loos, who worked with him after his arrival in Madrid last year.

She was pictured with Beckham at a night club enjoying a drink, sparking rumours that they were having a relationship. At the time, the footballer denied the claims.

Loos, the daughter of a Dutch diplomat, lives in Madrid and was said to be well-known among the capital’s elite. The alleged affair with Beckham is said to have started in September when Victoria Beckham was still in Britain.

After the claims in the newspaper on Sunday, Beckham, 28, was understood to have been given time off by Real Madrid to be with his family. The Beckmans left Britain for a pre-planned holiday in Switzerland.

The footballer’s family is alleged to have clashed with paparazzi at Heathrow Airport in London as they left for the holiday.

Victoria Beckham, 29, her parents, brother and two sons Brooklyn and Romeo were at the airport as they left for an Easter break on Sunday.

“During the past few months I have become accustomed to reading more and more ludicrous stories about my private life,” David Beckham said in a statement.

“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 the paper’s story was true. The Beckhams released a statement in September denying claims their marriage was in trouble.

Following Victoria Beckham’s departure on holiday with her family from Heathrow Airport, police have confirmed they are investigating an alleged assault.

A Scotland Yard spokesman in London said: “We have received an allegation of assault following an altercation at Heathrow Airport around 3pm Sunday. Inquiries continue”.

Subject: Dutch news