05 November 2023 , 09:59
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The Beckhams’ former bodyguard reckons Posh Spice star Victoria is the skipper in their household rather than footie legend David.
Former Marine Craig Ainsworth, who has also protected Hollywood A-listers, was full of praise for the family, whom he worked for from 2013 to 2015 when they lived in London’s Holland Park. And Craig, 39, said Netflix series Beckham is an accurate picture of their life and how they handle fame “with such grace”. He said they keep each other honest, like when David gets Victoria to admit in the series to driving to school in a Rolls-Royce.
Craig said of the couple’s relationship: “Who’s in charge? I feel most women are in charge and just let us men feel like we’re in charge half the time. “David and Victoria are both highly professional and have had so much security we’re like background noise to them, we’re part of the furniture.
Craig in the Marines“David was charming. Victoria kept to herself, she would be with the kids or working. With the spotlight they have been under, their kids are well-behaved. To have that level of fame and maintain their family unit, they must be doing something right.”
Craig, of Enfield, North London, served in Afghanistan and was hired to protect the Beckhams via US security firm Gavin De Becker. He had to pass tests including being pepper-sprayed in the eyes and tackling an MMA fighter in the dark. And before joining the Beckhams, he had to sign a 50-year Non Disclosure Agreement – one of 183 he has inked.
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Craig, who has protected the likes of Amber Heard, Johnny Depp, Jennifer Law-rence and Arnold Schwarz-enegger, added: “David’s the English golden boy. I don’t know any celeb more loved by the public – of the stars I’ve looked after, the only one comparable would be Arnie.”
During his amazing career, Craig joined Tom Holland and Jake Gyllenhaal on a Spider-Man press tour – telling of how the “lovely young men” visited kids at London’s Great Ormond Street Hospital in their costumes. But he has also found himself feeling sorry for some of Hollywood’s biggest female stars during limo rides after seeing their anxiety at how they looked, saying: “As we’re approaching the venue [they] almost had panic attacks. You can’t believe the pressure they’re under."
* Craig’s book, The Discombobulated Alpha, is available on Amazon