Background

Victoria Beckham was born on April 17, 1974 in Harlow, Essex, United Kingdom. She is the eldest of three children of Jacqueline Doreen (née Cannon), a hairdresser, and Anthony William Adams, an electronics engineer. Victoria has a sister, Louise, and a brother, Christian Adams.

Education

Victoria was brought up in Goffs Oak, Hertfordshire, where her parents had a wholesale business of electronic items. At St. Mary's High School she was bullied for a posh upbringing. To encourage Victoria to pursue her passions, Jacqueline and Anthony Adams enrolled her at the Jason Theatre School. She later got admission into the Laine Theatre Arts academy in Surrey, where she studied dance and modeling.

Career

At the age of 20, Victoria Beckham was one of the five young women selected to create the music group Spice Girls. The media christened Adams "Posh Spice," a moniker frequently used to refer to her thereafter. In 1996, the band released its debut album, Spice, which included the hit single "Wannabe." The follow-up single, "Say You'll Be There," climbed as high as No. 3 on the Billboard 200 chart. The album, which sold more than 20 million copies worldwide, made the Spice Girls a cultural phenomenon.

The group's "girl power" message attracted a substantial audience, especially young teenage girls. In 1997, the group released their second album, Spiceworld, and appeared in Spice World: the Movie. While they scored a hit with the song "2 Become 1," the Spice Girls failed to duplicate the success of their debut recording.

In 2000, the Spice Girls released the album Forever, recorded after one of the group members had left it. As the remaining members drifted apart to pursue other projects, Beckham went solo. Her post-Spice Girls career was eclectic. In 2001, she released her self-titled first solo album and an autobiography, Learning to Fly. While the album failed to reach the top of the charts, Learning to Fly became a best seller in Britain. Beckham also appeared in a number of television documentaries, including Being Victoria Beckham (2002), The Real Beckhams (2003), and the six-episode Victoria Beckham: Coming to America (2007), all of which were based on various aspects of her work and family life.

In 2007 and 2008, the Spice Girls reunited for a series of concerts. In June 2012, they reunited to announce the creation of a new musical about their rise and fall, Viva Forever!. In the same year, the Spice Girls performed at the closing ceremony of the Summer Olympic Games, held in London.

Beckham made her first foray into fashion in 2004, debuting a line of denim called VB Rocks. Three years later, she released collections of sunglasses and jeans, dVb denim, as well as the Intimately Beckham fragrance line. In 2008, Beckham expanded her fashion repertoire, rolling out a well-received dress collection; 2011 saw the release of a line of handbags, and a beauty line debuted in 2019.

Victoria also dabbled in modeling, appearing in runway shows as well as in print advertisements. In 2009, she became the model for the Emporio Armani underwear line for women.

Victoria Beckham also authored a book of fashion advice, That Extra Half an Inch: Hair, Heels, and Everything in Between (2006).

Achievements

• Although Victoria Beckham is known as a Spice Girl, which is how she became popular, she is not just a pop artist now. She has quite successfully made a career in fashion with her sunglasses line, perfume, and dress collection. In 2007, Beckham was the 52nd richest woman in Britain and the 19th richest person in Britain with her husband. She was also assessed by Woman's Hour as one of the 100 most powerful women in the United Kingdom in the fashion category.
  
  Victoria Beckham received two British Glamour Magazine awards in 2007. Both the awards celebrate her achievements as a fashionista. She was awarded the OBE (Officer of the Order of the British Empire) in the 2017 New Year Honours for her services to the fashion industry. Victoria is also a recipient of the Brit Award, British Fashion Award and Razzie Award.

Works

More photos

• book

  • That Extra Half an Inch: Hair, Heels and Everything in Between

    (In That Extra Half an Inch, a tongue-in-cheek reference t...)

    2006
  • Learning to Fly

    (From the time when, as an eight-year-old girl, she saw th...)

    2001

• movie

  • Manchester United: Beyond the Promised Land

    (Official feature-length film tracing the fortunes of the ...)

    2000
  • Spice World

    (The popular music group Spice Girls erupts into London in...)

    1997
  • Zoolander

    (Three-time male model of the year, Derek Zoolander, is de...)

    2001

• music

  • Let Your Head Go/This Groove 2003
  • Out of Your Mind 2000
  • A Mind of Its Own 2002
  • Not Such an Innocent Girl 2001

• TV show

  • Beckham: Coming to America

    (An insider's look at the life of former Spice Girl Victor...)

    2007

Religion

Beckham has said: "I'm a very driven, ambitious, positive person. But I'm a spiritual person as well. I believe in creative visualization."

She was married in an Anglican ceremony.

Politics

In 2016, Victoria Beckham said she wanted Britain to remain a member of the European Union. But she hasn't always been so keen on the European Union. In December 1996, Victoria described how she thought the 'Euro-bureaucrats are destroying every bit of national identity.'

Views

Victoria Beckham created a charm for Cancer Research UK's "Charms for Charity" campaign. She helped raise $185,500 for the National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children (NSPCC) by auctioning off two tickets to the World Cup party on eBay. Beckham wore a mosquito ring designed by Stephen Webster to raise funds for Malaria No More United Kingdom to save lives in Africa - her husband David is a founding member of the charity's United Kingdom Leadership council.

Victoria Beckham also designed white, boxy tees, emblazoned with the words 'Everyone Deserves Loves.' These words are styled in rainbow, holographic hues. She said: "I have always felt a deep connection to the LGBTQ+ community. In commemoration of the 50th anniversary of the Stonewall uprising, I wanted to celebrate the LGBTQ+ community and their continued message of positive change and inclusivity." Billed at $120 per piece, a quarter of profits was donated to the Albert Kennedy Trust, which helps and supports young queer folk experiencing homelessness or living in hostile environments.

Beckham also participated in charity work with Save the Children. She is a patron of the Elton John AIDS Foundation. In 2014, Beckham became a spokesperson advocating leadership roles for girls in the Ban Bossy campaign.

Victoria Beckham promotes faux furs.

Quotations: "It's not healthy to be jealous."

"The only time I get upset by things written about me - when people write irresponsible things about my weight... I appreciate that young girls look up to me. And I take that very seriously."

"More than anyone, I am aware of the preconceptions. I was a Spice Girl. I'm married to a footballer."

"I'm not worried about what's in fashion, what's not in fashion, what are the colors of the season. I go with my gut instinct because every time I haven't it's been a mistake."

"I don't wear heels every day, but when I'm out, that's how I feel confident."

"Fame is not like a jacket. You can't put it on and then take it off."

"Some people aren't satisfied that I'm a gay man in a woman's body and swear that I'm secretly a real boy."

"Sometimes it's frustrating if I'm out with the kids and have to deal with the paparazzi. That comes with it though. But it was fun becoming famous. I mean, I even wanted to one of the kids in FAME when I was growing up."

"The tusk is a very tactile shape, looks great among the other charms and is a cool piece that I like."

"When I'm lying in bed I think about the next collection. That makes me sound insane, doesn't it? That I'm getting into bed with David Beckham and thinking about clothes."

"I don't have any issues with my age."

"I'm a gay man in a woman's body."

"Drink whatever you like, just so long as it coordinates with your nail varnish."

"I'm not one of these people that needs to feel loved. I don't need to see my picture everywhere."

"Everyone's showing their thong out the back of their jeans. But you shouldn't wear any. You get a better line if you wear no knickers."

"I don't have a nanny or a housekeeper, and I only have a cleaner for one hour each week. I finish work and go home. I cook the dinner. I run into Tesco and do the housework in the evening."

"I'm very proud to be British, and my brand is British."

"You can make anything into a special occasion and dress up for it."

"I have started smiling! I've mastered this smirk; it's a smile that isn't a smile."

"You've got to trust people. And because I am a control freak, sometimes that's difficult for me, because I want to micro-manage absolutely everything. I can't hand it over. But I'm trying to do that more."

"People always think I'm taller than I am - not just because of the shoes I wear but because of the way I dress. It's all relatively streamlined."

"I'm feminine, but I wouldn't say that I'm girly in any way at all."

"I'll admit it: I'm a control freak. I am. If I'm going to do something, I'm going to do it 110% or there's no point in doing it at all, especially if the work takes me away from time with my husband and children."

"I don't want to be seen smiling, having fun, or eating."

"In my store, anyone and everyone is welcome."

"I have no intention of ever working with the (Spice) girls again."

"What do you wear on a running machine? I can't bring myself to wear flat shoes."

"Some wedges are great but you can look like your feet are encased in cement."

"When you're in a position to be paparazzi-ed just walking down the street, you'd look a little daft if you were smiling all the time."

"I don't believe anyone who says they don't care what people say about them. Of course, they bloody well do."

"I've got a lot that I want to do, so I would like to expand my empire, for sure. I love it."

"I don't know much about football. I know what a goal is, which is surely the main thing about football."

"I have a lot on my plate. I'm not going to lie about it, I'm tired. I'm really tired but I'm also very happy with my life."

"I can't concentrate in flats. I could go to the gym if I wore flats, I'd love to go to the gym, but I just can't get my head around the footwear."

"So what if you end up buying a size 6 instead of a 4? You can always cut out the label at home, and you'll pretty soon forget whatever that number was because you'll be too busy admiring how fantastic you look."

Personality

Beckham is down-to-earth. She is a natural conversationalist with a knack for striking up an instant, low-level intimacy. She does this a lot, that thing that women do: deflecting compliments by saying something slightly self-deprecating.

Physical Characteristics: Victoria Beckham has luminous skin and sparkly eyes. She is extremely slender, very delicate as if built from wishbones. At home, she works out for two hours a day. She gets up between 5.30 am and 6 am so that she can get some of her workouts in before the school run, starting with 7k on the treadmill, a mix of uphill fast walking, jogging, running.

Victoria Beckham has five tattoos. On her right wrist, she has got a roman numeral tattoo which reads "VIII-V-MMVI," thereby meaning "May 8, 2006." These roman numerals symbolize the date of Victoria and David's revitalization of their wedding word of honor. On Victoria's left wrist, she has got her husband David Beckham's initials, "DB." On Beckham's tenth wedding anniversary Victoria got one more Hebrew tattoo, which deciphers to "Together, forever, eternally." At the bottom of her roman numeral tattoo, she has got a Latin phrase inked on her wrist which reads "De Integro." Victoria's back tattoo just below her neck is no more now. She got this done during her sixth wedding anniversary. It used to run down in a vertical line facing southwards. Her tattoo reads "Ani l'dodi li va'ani lo haroeh bashoshanim," which actually means "I am my beloved's and my beloved is mine."

Interests

• collecting handbags, horse riding

• Writers

  Harper Lee

• Artists

  Audrey Hepburn

• Sport & Clubs

  water and snow skiing

• Music & Bands

  Maxwell, Toni Braxton, Anita Baker

Connections

In 1995, Victoria Beckham had a relationship with Corey Haim, which later ended on mutual terms. In 1997, she met David Beckham. They began dating and in 1998 became engaged. On March 4, 1999, the couple welcomed their first son Brooklyn. On July 4, 1999, Victoria and David were married in a lavish ceremony at a castle in Ireland. The Beckhams have three other children - sons Romeo and Cruz and daughter Harper.

Father:

Anthony William Adams

Mother:

Jacqueline Doreen Adams

Spouse:

David Beckham

ex-partner:

Corey Haim

(December 23, 1971 - March 10, 2010)

Corey Haim was a Canadian actor. He starred in a number of 1980s films, such as Lucas, Silver Bullet, Murphy's Romance, License to Drive and Dream a Little Dream.

Son:

Brooklyn Beckham

(born March 4, 1999)

Brooklyn Beckham is an English model and amateur photographer.

Son:

Romeo Beckham

(born September 1, 2002)

Son:

Cruz Beckham

(born February 20, 2005)

Daughter:

Harper Seven Beckham

(born July 10, 2011)

Friend:

Eva Longoria

Friend:

Katie Holmes

Friend:

Jennifer Lopez

References

• Victoria Beckham: Style Power Victoria Beckham: Style Power explores the dynamic rise of Victoria Beckham as a fashion designer. This beautifully packaged book is the first work to document Victoria's entire fashion career, up to and including the 2016 collections.
  2016
• Victoria Beckham Victoria Beckham is a fashion book. The book contains the latest designer fashion clothes by Victoria Beckham.
  2020
• Victoria Beckham: Queen of America This is Victoria's life unveiled, including the death threats, the kidnap attempts, rumors of surgery, and the gossip surrounding her marriage and health. The secrets behind her sensational rise to fame are revealed, as is the inside story of the Beckhams' move from Madrid to Los Angeles.
  2007
• Victoria Beckham's Official Website
• Victoria Beckham's Twitter
• Victoria Beckham's Facebook
• Victoria Beckham's Instagram