Victoria Beckham recently made a deeply personal and candid revelation, sharing that she struggled with an eating disorder at the height of her fame and kept the difficult health battle a secret for years, even from her husband, David Beckham.
The fashion designer, who first opened up about the condition in her self-titled 2025 Netflix docuseries, further detailed her experience on the Call Her Daddy podcast, which aired in October 2025.
She admitted that having an eating disorder makes you "very good at lying," and because she was "too scared to talk to anyone," she confided in "no one at all" about her struggles.
The Impact of Scrutiny and the Need for Control
Beckham's struggle was, in part, a reaction to the intense and often brutal media scrutiny she faced, particularly during her time as Posh Spice and after becoming a mother.
She recalled a particularly upsetting incident in 1999 where she was famously weighed on live national television just six months after giving birth to her eldest son, Brooklyn, with a TV host asking if she had "lost the weight."
She explained in the docuseries that this constant public criticism—which labeled her everything from "Porky Posh" to "Skinny Posh"—made her feel like she had no control over what was being written about her.
As a coping mechanism, she took control of the one thing she could: her weight, which she did in an "incredibly unhealthy way."
This obsession was "so consuming," leaving her feeling lost. "I didn't know what I saw when I looked in the mirror," she shared.
Finding a Healthy Path Forward
While she managed to turn an "unhealthy obsession with food into a healthy relationship" herself, she credits her husband, David, with helping her positively change her exercise regimen.
She revealed that David encouraged her to transition from excessive cardio to weight training, and they now work out together.
David himself spoke out in the documentary about the hyper-critical media culture of the late 90s and early 2000s, noting that the constant criticism she faced started to make the "Victoria that I knew" fade.
Beckham is now committed to promoting a healthy lifestyle and open conversations about body image and mental health, even speaking with her daughter, Harper, 14, about her past before the documentary aired.
Her hope is that her story can help others who are silently struggling to seek help.
Did you know?
Victoria Beckham has made previous hints about her struggles.
In her 2001 memoir, Learning to Fly, she briefly touched on the pressure she felt to lose weight during her Spice Girls career, though the recent docuseries and podcast appearances are her most open and detailed accounts to date.
How has celebrity openness about mental health struggles, like Victoria Beckham's, changed your perspective on fame and body image over the years?
Share your thoughts on the conversation below and encourage others to speak openly about their experiences.
If you or someone you know is struggling with an eating disorder, please seek help.
There are resources and helplines available to provide support.
The fashion designer, who first opened up about the condition in her self-titled 2025 Netflix docuseries, further detailed her experience on the Call Her Daddy podcast, which aired in October 2025.
She admitted that having an eating disorder makes you "very good at lying," and because she was "too scared to talk to anyone," she confided in "no one at all" about her struggles.
The Impact of Scrutiny and the Need for Control
Beckham's struggle was, in part, a reaction to the intense and often brutal media scrutiny she faced, particularly during her time as Posh Spice and after becoming a mother.
She recalled a particularly upsetting incident in 1999 where she was famously weighed on live national television just six months after giving birth to her eldest son, Brooklyn, with a TV host asking if she had "lost the weight."
She explained in the docuseries that this constant public criticism—which labeled her everything from "Porky Posh" to "Skinny Posh"—made her feel like she had no control over what was being written about her.
As a coping mechanism, she took control of the one thing she could: her weight, which she did in an "incredibly unhealthy way."
This obsession was "so consuming," leaving her feeling lost. "I didn't know what I saw when I looked in the mirror," she shared.
Finding a Healthy Path Forward
While she managed to turn an "unhealthy obsession with food into a healthy relationship" herself, she credits her husband, David, with helping her positively change her exercise regimen.
She revealed that David encouraged her to transition from excessive cardio to weight training, and they now work out together.
David himself spoke out in the documentary about the hyper-critical media culture of the late 90s and early 2000s, noting that the constant criticism she faced started to make the "Victoria that I knew" fade.
Beckham is now committed to promoting a healthy lifestyle and open conversations about body image and mental health, even speaking with her daughter, Harper, 14, about her past before the documentary aired.
Her hope is that her story can help others who are silently struggling to seek help.
Did you know?
Victoria Beckham has made previous hints about her struggles.
In her 2001 memoir, Learning to Fly, she briefly touched on the pressure she felt to lose weight during her Spice Girls career, though the recent docuseries and podcast appearances are her most open and detailed accounts to date.
How has celebrity openness about mental health struggles, like Victoria Beckham's, changed your perspective on fame and body image over the years?
Share your thoughts on the conversation below and encourage others to speak openly about their experiences.
If you or someone you know is struggling with an eating disorder, please seek help.
There are resources and helplines available to provide support.
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