David Beckham: 5 things to know about former England captain's mental disorder

David Beckham: 5 things to know about former England captain's mental disorder

David Ben 21:27 - 29.04.2023

David Beckham has opened up on his battles with OCD as well as how it has affected his marriage with his wife, Victoria.

David Beckham is unarguably one of the richest footballers in the world and one of the most successful sportsmen of all time.

However, the 47-year-old former England and Manchester United star recently revealed that he is living with an obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) which leaves him spending hours and hours cleaning his home every night.

OCD is a mental health condition where a person has obsessive thoughts and compulsive behaviours.

According to The Mirror, around 750,000 are thought to be living with severe, life-impacting and debilitating conditions in the UK and the English football icon is one of them.

David Beckham opens up on OCD struggles
David Beckham is one of the richest sportsmen in the world.

Beckham who is set to release a documentary on his illustrious career, recently made the revelation about his mental illness.

According to multiple reports, the movie will be produced by Netflix and directed by Academy Award winners Fisher Stevens and John Battsek.

In this article, we will be taking a quick look at 5 things to know about David Beckham’s OCD battle.

5 things about David Beckham's mental disorder

1. David Beckham’s OCD forces him to spend quality time basically cleaning and organising his £25million mansion while his family is asleep

Beckham revealed in the upcoming Netflix documentary that his obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) leads him to spend hours cleaning and organising his home while the rest of his family are in bed.

“The fact that when everyone’s in bed I then go around, clean the candles, turn the lights on to the right setting, make sure everywhere is tidy. I hate coming down in the morning and there’s cups and plates and, you know, bowls.

“I clip the candle wax, I clean the glass, that’s my pet hate, the smoke around the inside of a candle,” he was quoted to have said. 

“I know, it’s weird.”

"I hate coming down in the morning and there's cups and plates and, you know, bowls. It's tiring going around every single candle cleaning it.”

2. David Beckham’s cleaning rituals is an issue for his wife Victoria

David Beckham opens up on OCD struggles
David Beckham and his wife Victoria Beckham

Beckham also confessed that when he’s forced to clean and organise his kitchen, his wife, Victoria, who is a fashion mogul, does not appreciate his efforts.

"I clean it so well, I'm not sure it's actually appreciated so much by my wife, in all honesty," Beckham said in a preview for the series.

3. Despite Beckham’s mental disorder, his wife still sees him as a ‘Perfect’ man

David Beckham opens up on OCD struggles
David Beckham and his wife Victoria Beckham

In response to David Beckham’s claim about Victoria not appreciating his actions as a result of his OCD, Victoria Beckham still believes she is married to the perfect man.

“He’s just so perfect”, Victoria said. 

In the upcoming series, she also told David he is “appreciated”, even though the former England star admits he finds the cleaning rituals “tiring”.

But David then bit back: "Don't believe that for a second. She sounds so sarcastic when she says it."

4. David Beckham and Victoria have been married for years and understand each other despite his mental illness

David Beckham opens up on OCD struggles
David Beckham and his wife Victoria Beckham

Despite the Beckhams’ incredible fortune, the power couple and parents of four understand each other very well.

Victoria is well aware of her husband’s struggles with OCD but she has remained as supportive as ever towards the former Real Madrid, AC Milan and PSG star.

5. Despite his efforts, David Beckham has been unable to conquer his OCD

David Beckham opens up on OCD struggles
David Beckham/via Instagram

In an interview with ITV in 2006, he said he could not stop acting on his compulsions despite having tried.

He said: “I’ve got this obsessive compulsive disorder where I have to have everything in a straight line or everything has to be in pairs. I’ll put my Pepsi cans in the fridge and if there’s one too many then I’ll put it in another cupboard somewhere … everything has to be perfect.”

Netflix confirmed in July 2022, that a documentary series about Beckham’s footballer’s career was in production. 

The series will feature unseen archive footage as well as interviews with Beckham, his family and friends, and other people who played an important role in his story.

The series is also being made by his own production company, Studio 99.

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