How Victoria Beckham Explained Her Eating Disorder to Daughter Harper

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Victoria Beckham will always be there to guide her daughter Harper Beckham.

After her Netflix documentary about her life came out, Victoria Beckham revealed she talked to her and David Beckham’s 14-year-old daughter about her history with eating disorders.

Victoria mentioned on the October 22nd episode of the Call Her Daddy podcast that she’d discussed the topic with Harper, who had already watched the documentary. She explained that young girls are still very focused on food and that it’s a common topic of conversation among them at school.

I spoke with her because I hadn’t seen the finished version until the premiere. I suspected the scene might still be included, since I remembered discussing it, so I explained it to her to make sure she understood.

In a conversation with Harper, Victoria Beckham, who shares sons Brooklyn (26), Romeo (23), and Cruz (20) with her ex-husband, David Beckham, discussed how her struggles with unhealthy habits impacted her both mentally and physically.

I told my teenager that having an eating disorder is deeply painful. It’s a sad, isolating experience that takes over your whole life. I was going through the motions for years, but wasn’t really living. It’s incredibly difficult, and the most important thing is to talk about what you’re going through.

Despite it being a difficult choice, the fashion designer has no regrets about openly sharing her health challenges in her book, Victoria Beckham.

She told Alex Cooper that many women have reached out to her after watching the documentary, sharing how much they connected with her story. She added that if sharing her experience encourages others to speak up, it makes doing the documentary even more worthwhile.

In her three-part series, Victoria opened up about the difficulties she faced with constant criticism of her body as she became famous.

During a recent interview, the pop star recalled being weighed on television when her son, Brooklyn, was six months old. While they now joke about the incident, she admitted it was a painful experience, as she was only 25 years old at the time and felt very young.

It really shook my confidence and made me dislike who I was becoming, because I let it get to me,” she explained. “I felt disconnected from myself, like I didn’t recognize the person in the mirror—it’s like losing touch with reality. I was just incredibly hard on myself and didn’t like the person I was seeing.

Victoria reflected on the harsh criticism she’s faced due to her public life. She explained, “People have called me everything from ‘Porky Posh’ to ‘Skinny Posh’ – it’s been difficult dealing with so much negativity.”

Reflecting on that difficult time, Victoria explained that her eating disorder had a lasting impact, altering all of her relationships.

She explained that people with eating disorders often become skilled at keeping secrets. She personally never felt able to be open with her parents or the public about her struggles. She also shared that constant criticism and feeling inadequate had a significant impact on her.

Victoria has overcome many unhealthy habits, but she still finds herself battling the same old thought patterns. As she explained, ‘It feels like something I’ve dealt with forever.’

For more revelations from her new documentary, read on.

Victoria Adams, also known as Posh Spice, married David Beckham in 1999 and had a young son, Brooklyn, who was about 18 months old. That same year, the Spice Girls – the group that made her famous – performed what turned out to be their last show with the original lineup at the MTV Europe Music Awards. When the Spice Girls took a break and eventually broke up in 2001, Victoria wasn’t sure what she wanted to do next with her career and life.

As I watched the Victoria Beckham docuseries on Netflix, she really opened up about how things were after leaving her family. She described them as amazing, but admitted she felt incredibly lonely and like things had slowed down so much. She genuinely wondered if anyone would ever ask her to model again, and she kept questioning what her next step would be. It was so raw and honest to see her talk about that uncertainty.

David, who figured his wife could use rest, soon realized that what she really needed was purpose.

He admitted that while his own life remained consistent – he kept working and pursuing his passions – things changed dramatically for her. He added that he didn’t fully understand how difficult that transition was for her at the time.

Victoria admits that while she and others now joke about the intense public attention on her body – including being weighed on television just six months after giving birth to Brooklyn in March 1999 – it was actually a painful experience because she was so young at the time.

It really shook my confidence and made me dislike who I was becoming. I let the experience change how I saw myself, and I felt disconnected from reality. I became overly critical and didn’t recognize the person looking back at me in the mirror. People have described me in so many ways, from ‘Porky Posh’ to ‘Skinny Posh,’ and it just showed how lost I was.

Being too thin was criticized just as much as being overweight, and Victoria felt powerless to stop the constant commentary on her body. This led her to take unhealthy control of her weight. She admitted that living with an eating disorder meant becoming skilled at deception, and she kept it hidden from her parents and the public. Victoria explained that being repeatedly told she wasn’t good enough had a lasting impact on her, something she’s struggled with throughout her life.

In the documentary, Victoria revealed she deliberately sought media attention to remain relevant after the family relocated to Spain in 2003 following David’s move to Real Madrid.

Oh my god, their time in Spain was just… brutal. The tabloids were relentless, constantly trying to tear David and Victoria apart with these awful rumors about him having affairs. It’s like, it was barely touched on in Victoria’s book, but the Netflix docuseries Beckham really dove into how much that affected him. But honestly, while everyone was focused on that drama, Victoria was also trying to figure out who she was after the Spice Girls – it was like she was searching for her own identity, you know? It was such a tough time for both of them, but they somehow made it through. I’ve watched the docuseries like, five times, and it still gets me every time!

She described feeling lost and unhappy, like she was stuck. While she was grateful for her life, she realized she needed a stronger sense of direction and meaning. She recalled making a promise to herself: if she ever got another chance, she wouldn’t let it slip away.

Victoria revealed in her Netflix series that after starting her fashion label in 2008, she invited Anna Wintour to her runway shows every season, but the Vogue editor-in-chief never actually attended.

Anna confirmed she would attend in September 2013 and sat in the front row with David and their two-year-old daughter, Harper Beckham, when Victoria showcased her spring 2014 collection at New York Fashion Week.

You know, when I first thought about Victoria Beckham getting into fashion, I have to admit I was a little skeptical. I remembered her as a Spice Girl, and while we all loved her style, it’s easy to think of celebrity fashion lines as just a fun hobby. So many celebrities dip their toes into the design world, but aren’t truly committed to it as a career. I wasn’t immediately convinced she was serious about becoming a real designer – it just didn’t quite click at first!

Anna, who left her position as editor-in-chief of Vogue in June 2025 but still holds leadership roles at Condé Nast, admitted in the documentary that she initially doubted the trend, explaining that she and others in the fashion industry could be “a little bit snobby” and dismiss it as just a hobby.

But, she added, “Victoria was one that totally proved us wrong.”

By 2016, Victoria had become a successful and recognized designer, but she admitted things were starting to fall apart. In a recent series, she described her fashion brand’s situation as a runaway snowball, gathering speed and becoming increasingly out of control.

David invested a lot of money in his wife’s company, but he never received any return on his investment, he said. He explained that they had always agreed to support each other, but he was concerned because the business wasn’t financially viable in the long term.

Looking back, Victoria admitted they had spent a lot of money unnecessarily and were deeply in debt – millions of pounds over budget. She felt lost and didn’t know how to fix the situation.

She admitted that, despite years of ignoring criticism, the news about her struggling fashion brand wasn’t about people being mean. It was simply the truth, and she had to accept it. She described feeling overwhelmed and stuck, like she was sinking in quicksand.

She really disliked discussing her business problems with her husband, but she felt she had to since he had a financial stake in it.

David recalled that when he and his wife met in 1997, she was significantly wealthier than he was, even purchasing their home in Hertfordshire, famously called “Beckingham Palace.” Because of this, he understood how difficult it was for her to ask him for financial help.

You know, something that really struck me during a recent conversation was how difficult it was for both of us. Victoria is incredibly proud, and hearing her struggle was heartbreaking. Honestly, a big part of it came down to finances – I just wasn’t in a position to continue supporting things the way they were at that time. It was a tough moment for everyone involved.

David Belhassen, of Neo Investment Partners, initially didn’t want to invest in Victoria’s business. His firm bought a third of the company in 2017 and later helped improve its financial situation, but he was originally strongly opposed to the idea.

He described the situation as a complete failure, explaining that the venture never turned a profit. He added that he’d rarely encountered a more difficult problem to resolve.

Belhassen explained that he had a change of heart after praising his wife’s outfit one evening and discovering she was wearing Victoria Beckham—and was a big fan of the designer.

He explained that he first needed to know if she could truly accept the situation. For a long time, people had only told her what she wanted to believe, and he needed to gauge her ability to face reality.

According to Belhassen, the company was wasting money on things like $70,000 annually for office plants, and another $15,000 to pay someone to water them.

Victoria admitted in the doc that her “entertainment background” led to overindulging.

Looking back, I was shocked by how much waste there was,” she explained. “I ordered fifteen different fabrics just for the inside of jackets… and things like flying chairs in from all over the world. Hearing about it now, I’m appalled that I let it happen. I think a big part of the issue was that people were too afraid to disagree with me.

Per Fashion Network, Victoria Beckham emerged from the red in 2022.

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2025-10-22 20:55