David Beckham has had a torrid week after emails containing private comments he made were leaked.
The former Manchester United star has been caught up in the fallout from his reaction to not being given a knighthood in the 2013 Queen’s Honours. The 41-year-old has since released a statement on the emails.
However there has been fresh controversy over comments he allegedly made about the honour given to singer Katherine Jenkins, who was awarded an OBE in 2014.
Photo: Mike Coppola / Getty Images
According to the leaks, which came from hacked emails of Beckham’s chief public relations adviser, Simon Oliveira, the star is alleged to have said:
“Katherine Jenkins OBE for what? Singing at the rugby and going to see the troops plus admiring [sic] to taking coke…F**king joke and if you get asked we should think of a cutting remark.”
The singer’s manager, Professor Jonathan Shalit, has since responded, giving a statement to The Sun saying:
“Beckham says, ‘Katherine Jenkins OBE for what? Singing at the rugby and going to see the troops plus taking coke. F***ing joke’.
“I say Katherine was awarded an OBE for her services to music and charity.
“With regards to the taking of coke which Katherine has courageously publicly admitted with great honesty — this was when she was in her early 20s still studying, over a decade before she was awarded her OBE and started her recording career.”
Another uncomfortable twist in what has been a damaging week for David Beckham so far.
Catch up with this week’s episode of 888sport Football Friday Live
