Beckham marriage 'for real'
2005-10-18 08:14
London - The defamation lawsuit by English football star David Beckham and his pop star wife Victoria against the British tabloid News of the World will begin on December 5, said the High Court.
The Real Madrid player and England captain and Posh of the 1990's band Spice Girls decided to take legal action after an article published in September 2004 accused them of lying about the state of their marriage, to keep up the image of an ideal couple for financial gain.
Richard Spearman, representing News Group Newspapers, the tabloid's publisher owned by Rupert Murdoch's News Corporation, told the judge during preliminary hearings the defence would argue that the article was an accurate account of their marriage.
Marriage seriously rocked
"Because their substantial fortunes depend upon their public perception, the claimants have been cynically and hypocritically trying - for financial reasons - to convince the public that they continue to enjoy a happy marriage..." he said.
Spearman argued that the marriage had in fact been seriously rocked by Beckham's "infidelity" and "betrayal" of his wife.
Speaking for the couple, their lawyer Hugh Tomlinson said: "The case being put against us is that we are promoting a false image of ourselves as a happily married couple.
"We do not deny that we promote ourselves as a happily married couple. We say that's because it is true."
The case, to be heard before a jury, is expected to run for two weeks.
Beckham moved from northern England to Madrid in July 2003 while his family remained behind, which allegedly caused friction between the two of them.
The marriage hit a rocky patch after reports that the football star had an affair with his former personal assistant, Rebecca Loos, who went on to sell her story to the media.