Victoria Beckham has disclosed her years-long struggle with an eating disorder in her newly released Netflix documentary series, revealing she developed unique ways to hide the condition from those closest to her.
The 51-year-old fashion designer and former Spice Girl admitted she managed her weight through "incredibly unhealthy" methods whilst hiding the truth from her family.
"When you have an eating disorder, you become very good at lying," Ms Beckham stated in the three-part series released on Thursday morning. "I was never honest about it with my parents."
The documentary marks a rare public discussion of her eating disorder, which she had previously touched upon briefly in her 2001 memoir Learning to Fly but had never addressed comprehensively until now.
Victoria Beckham and David Beckham's relationship features throughout the series | NETFLIXThe relentless media scrutiny throughout her career left Ms Beckham unable to perceive her own appearance accurately, she claimed in the documentary. "I've been everything from 'Porky Posh' to 'Skinny Posh'," she said. "It's been a lot, and that's hard."
The constant criticism caused her to lose touch with reality regarding her body image. "I didn't know what I saw when I looked in the mirror. You lose all sense of reality," she explained.
Ms Beckham described becoming "very critical" of herself and developing a profound dislike for her reflection.
The barrage of negative commentary made her question whether she was overweight or underweight, leaving her confused about her actual appearance.
Victoria Beckham opened up about feeling scrutinised following the birth of her son Brooklyn
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"It really affects you when you're being told constantly you're not good enough," she reflected. "And I suppose that's been with me my whole life."
Despite the singer's efforts to conceal her condition, a close associate has claimed it was an "open secret" amongst her inner circle.
A source who worked alongside the star for years told the Daily Mail that her restrictive eating patterns were evident to those around her. "At home, she only ate steamed fish and vegetables with no salt or pepper or any sauce," the insider disclosed.
This rigid diet remained unchanged even at glamorous events. "When she went to events she didn't have what everyone else had, she just had steamed food that came out when everyone was having their extravagant dinners," the source explained.
Victoria Beckham shot to fame in the 1990s
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The friend praised Ms Beckham's courage in speaking publicly, stating: "But yes of course, we all knew."
Ms Beckham's struggles with body image began during her teenage years at Laine Theatre Arts School in Epsom, Surrey, where she faced harsh criticism about her appearance.
The principal told her she would be "flown in the back" during performances because she wasn't "aesthetically pleasing" compared to other students.
Her mother Jackie recalled that her daughter was explicitly told "you're overweight" and would be positioned at the rear.
Victoria Beckham at the premiere of her Netflix show
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A particularly distressing incident occurred in 1999 when television presenter Chris Evans weighed her live on his Channel 4 programme TFI Friday, merely months after she had given birth to her eldest son, Brooklyn.
"I was weighed on national television," Ms Beckham recalled. "Get on those scales, have you lost the weight? We laugh about it and we joke about it, but I was really, really young and that hurts."
Her husband, David Beckham, offered his perspective on the harsh media environment his wife endured during the early 2000s, acknowledging the damaging impact of constant criticism.
"People felt it was okay to criticise a woman for her weight, for what she's doing for what she's wearing," the former footballer observed. "There were a lot of things happening in TV then that wouldn't happen now, that can't happen now."
Victoria Beckham was supported by her children and husband - except for Brooklyn
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He recalled watching his wife's personality change as the criticism intensified. "My Victoria that I knew, sits at home in a tracksuit, smiling, laughing, having a glass of wine.
"That started to go purely because of the criticism that she was getting."
Ms Beckham explained she sought control through her clothing choices and weight management after feeling powerless over media coverage.
"I had no control over what was being written about me, pictures that were being taken," she said.
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