The Stunning Transformation Of Victoria Beckham From Childhood To 49
The world first learned about Victoria Beckham when she and four other women from England took the '90s by storm as members of the Spice Girls. The girl group's meteoric rise and ultimate disbanding became a legendary part of the decade, but it was only the beginning for Victoria. She linked up with husband and celebrated footballer David Beckham to become one of the most famous celebrity couples ever. While some may have considered her to be a WAG — wives and girlfriends of sports stars — following her peak Spice Girls days, Victoria showed she had exceptional entrepreneurial skills. Not that she spent all her time in board meetings, as the star was often spotted at the hottest events all around the globe.
Still, looking back across the years, Victoria has admitted that not every beauty choice held up to today's standards. In October 2022, she posted a TikTok video titled "My life in looks," using an audio clip to humorously show fans "How I feel about my past hair/makeup choices." Victoria approved of her eras with short red hair and a spiked brunette style. But as for her choppy platinum blonde cut from around 2007, she agreed with the audio, which simply said, "Absolutely not."
But despite managing to pretty much always look fabulous while working hard behind the scenes, Victoria unfortunately endured backlash and constant comments on her appearance no matter what was going on in her personal or professional life. This is Victoria Beckham's stunning transformation from childhood to 49 years old.
A posh upbringing for Victoria Beckham
A star was born in 1974 in Harlow, England — Victoria Adams, the daughter of Anthony and Jackie Adams. Victoria and her two siblings grew up in a comfortable setting thanks in part to her family's financial success in Goffs Oak, Hertfordshire, a bucolic village located directly north from London.
Her dad, who goes by Tony, owned an electronics business that did so well it allowed him to own a Rolls-Royce. This British luxury car maker consistently makes some of the most rare and expensive vehicles in the world, costing in the hundreds of millions of British pounds. It's easy to imagine what her classmates thought when Tony would drop off young Victoria at school in the family Rolls-Royce (even husband David Beckham jokingly roasted his wife for claiming to grow up working class in their 2023 Netflix docuseries "Beckham"). Yet, Victoria reportedly hated this attention and would ask her father not to drive her to school in the luxury vehicle, per Hello! magazine.
The family also lived in Essex, and both Tony and Jackie continued to live there after Victoria became famous. In April 2023, she made a return trip to visit her childhood home with husband David Beckham and their kids. On her Instagram Story, Victoria gave fans a peek into the place she grew up in, including two dolls that she used to play with, one called Aunt Sally. "It brings back such nice memories," she said about being back in her childhood room and family house, adding, "It's so nice to come back."
She loved to entertain throughout her childhood
It's not surprising given her future as a celebrity that Victoria Beckham had a knack for performance when she was a kid. According to Beckham, one of the most transformative moments in her childhood was watching the movie "Fame" when she was 7 years old. "I always wanted to be a dancer when I was younger, and 'Fame' was so inspiring," she revealed to CNN in 2007. "It made me want to come to New York and jump on a car." Beckham even rocked some "Fame" merch at the time, including a gold-stitched velour tracksuit and a bag. Knowing she wanted to try a path toward showbiz, Victoria's parents enrolled her in the Jason Theatre School.
Not everyone seemed to love young Victoria Beckham's aspirations of fame. "She would ram it down everyone's throat that she was going to be this great star," one of her former friends claimed to People. She also dealt with acne and other negativity from her classmates. "I was quite an awkward teenager; I didn't have a huge amount of friends, and looking back I recognize that I was bullied at times," Beckham admitted to Vogue Australia in 2020. "I would never want anyone else to feel how I was made to feel," she added. So when the star had her own daughter, Harper, she taught her to be kind to fellow classmates and to be especially open to the quieter children.
Inside Victoria Beckham's teenage years
As she grew older, Victoria Beckham began experimenting with her looks, which she showcased in 2022 with a pretty amazing video on TikTok featuring a series of images from her youth. The first showed her wearing a white baseball cap plus a white sweatshirt with a mock turtleneck and American flag placed on the front. Other highlights included an outfit with a bomber jacket with sweatpants, another with huge permed hair, and finally a latex tube top paired with purple latex pants. By the time she was 15 years old, Beckham was already beginning to model, though not exactly for fashion shoots. The teen was featured in the brochure for the London Academy of Health and Beauty, with photos showing her lounging in a dorm room and giving a massage.
Two years later, Beckham continued to pursue a career in entertainment when she enrolled as a dance and modeling student at the Laine Theatre Arts college. Around this time, Beckham joined a band that would change the world. Or at least, that's what the pop-dance group who called themselves Persuasion may have thought. Persuasion was made up of Beckham, two guys, and two other women. The short-lived band reportedly sang in pubs, with the future Spice Girl primarily featured on backup vocals.
How the star got her big break
In 1993, Victoria Beckham noticed an advertisement in The Stage magazine looking for young, talented, motivated, and street-smart women who could sing and dance. Fortunately, Beckham had been training for years as a dancer and performer, so she seemed perfect for the casting. In the end, Beckham, Melanie Brown, Melanie Chisholm, Geri Halliwell, and the later forgotten Michelle Stephenson were selected and formed a girl group called Touch. Stephenson then left and was replaced by Emma Bunton.
The ladies were first managed by Bob and Chris Herbert, a father-and-son team, who wanted to pick five women with distinctly different styles. "We put all the basic ingredients in: provided them with the studios, a house to live in, dance tuition, writers, paid their expenses. But to make the ingredients work, you have to get five spices together," Bob told Rolling Stone four years later. And so, they all lived in a house in Maidenhead, a suburb of London, to rehearse and write music together. Beckham recalled that Bob looked like he belonged in the TV series "Miami Vice" with the way he dressed. "He walked in one day, and he had a bright-blue suit on and a white shirt and a medallion and some bright-blue loafers," she told Rolling Stone.
The management pairing ultimately didn't work out due to contract disputes before the group separated from the Herberts and renamed themselves the Spice Girls. The five performers later linked up with manager Simon Fuller in 1995 and signed with Virgin Records.
Victoria Beckham spiced up her life
After teaming up with manager Simon Fuller, who later created the series "American Idol," the ladies began to take on their distinct identities as the five different Spices. There was Scary Spice, Ginger Spice, Baby Spice, and Sporty Spice — and Victoria Beckham, of course, became known as Posh Spice. Fuller apparently called her this due to her aforementioned fancy childhood lifestyle. She ultimately leaned into the title and started wearing designer clothes from luxury brands like Gucci and Prada. As for becoming known for being photographed with her signature Posh pout, Beckham told Rolling Stone that she simply disliked her smile.
After dropping the first single "Wannabe" in 1996, the Spice Girls released their debut album "Spice" later in the year, and Spicemania officially swept the world. As the group kept adding more and more fans with their message of "girl power," Posh Spice admitted that her love for retail therapy hadn't changed. "I try to go to the gym but when I'm not working, I'm shopping," she told People.
Looking back at some of her outfits from this decade in 2015, Beckham admitted to WWD that some people might be shocked by the choices. While she agreed that some '90s styles were making a comeback years later, she quipped, "I wouldn't say my PVC catsuits would be reappearing, put it that way."
The start of Posh and Becks
While the Spice Girls dominated the airwaves on the music side of entertainment in England in 1997, the British sports world couldn't get enough of Manchester United player David Beckham. Neither could Victoria Beckham, who had to see the star midfielder for herself and attended one of his matches alongside her bandmate, Sporty Spice. David was also enamored with Victoria and claimed to know it was love at first sight. While the two didn't talk at this first game, Victoria came back a week later to watch David again — and this time, the footballer connected with the singer. As David explained on "The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon" years later, she had to leave Manchester but wrote her phone number down on the train ticket she used to get to the game. Adorably, David still has that train ticket.
In 2020, Victoria posted a cute video on Instagram of their early days dating when she interviewed him. She asked David when he realized he was famous, and he joked that he knew instantly. "It was when he first started going out with me, I think, actually," she then quipped. In the rest of the video, the two are seen constantly flirting and hugging each other, with David saying he loved her because she was "the whole package."
In 1999, the couple tied the knot at Luttrellstown Castle in Ireland. It was four months after the pair welcomed their first child, Brooklyn, who was the ring bearer for the ceremony.
Inside Victoria Beckham's harrowing experience
At the start of the new millennium, Victoria Beckham expanded her musical efforts outside of the Spice Girls as the featured artist on the song "Out of Your Mind" by True Steppers and Dane Bowers. It was also tragically the same year that Beckham's safety became a concern, as police discovered a plot to kidnap the famous singer and her then-infant son, Brooklyn. Per The Telegraph, in January 2000, Scotland Yard received a tip that members of a gang planned to hold the two hostage in Hampstead, London. Fortunately, the warning worked, and the Beckhams were moved to a secure location.
Victoria also received death threats around this time. As reported by the Daily Mail, she was leaving the stage after a rehearsal for the Brit Awards when she noticed a red laser beam on her chest. Police investigated the origin of the light and found a fire door propped open. When performing at the award show, Victoria believed that she had been shot, even stopping her singing and holding her stomach, after mistaking thousands of balloons popping for gunshots. In addition to facing another kidnapping plot in 2002, she and David Beckham dealt with a stalker while living in England and even once received a pair of bullets sent to their home that featured their names, according to the Mirror.
All these events understandably shook up the singer and eroded her sense of safety. "I didn't know who I could trust," Victoria wrote in her autobiography "Learning to Fly." "I didn't know if I could trust anybody."
The end and start of two great things
Following their third album together called "Forever," released in 2000, the Spice Girls officially split to go their own way. Looking back on the wild ride in the group, Victoria Beckham said there were a lot of positives, of course, but also negatives. "I learnt an enormous amount being very young and very, very famous. You realize it's much more difficult to maintain success than it is to actually achieve it — and it's not as glamorous as people would think," she revealed to Harper's Bazaar in 2020.
Post-Spice Girls, Victoria released her first solo record in 2001 called "Not Such an Innocent Girl." Later that year, she dropped her eponymous debut album. Later, the music star parted ways with Virgin Records and signed with Telstar. Her first output as part of the label was the 2003 song "Let Your Head Go" ... but Telstar folded the following year. According to Victoria's labelmate, Alesha Dixon from the girl group Mis-Teeq, the company's issues allegedly started from spending too much money to sign the former Spice Girl, per the Daily Mail.
Victoria never released another album, but sessions from her days with Telstar were later leaked in 2016. One of the tracks, "Resentment," was even picked up by Beyoncé for her 2006 album "B'Day." While her music career was coming to a close, Victoria was starting to grow her family even more when she and David Beckham had their second child in 2002, son Romeo.
Victoria Beckham continued to expand her family
In 2005, David and Victoria Beckham welcomed their son, Cruz. The third Beckham child was born in Madrid, Spain because David played for the local football club at the time, Real Madrid. Before the birth, the Beckhams had met Tom Cruise and, according to David, he loved the actor's last name. The idea stuck with him, and the couple decided to take the Spanish spelling of the word for baby No. 3's moniker.
Once he became a teen, Cruz took after his mother and became interested in music, singing and taking guitar lessons. "The baton has gone over to him," Victoria told Vogue Australia in 2022 of Cruz, in terms of being the musician in the family. Still, she had reservations about her third son trying to become a famous musician after her own experiences. "You want to offer your support and do what you can to help them. But it makes you a bit nervous because, you know ... you don't ever want anybody to be anything other than kind and love what your children do," Victoria explained.
On the professional side of things, a year after giving birth to Cruz, Victoria released her second book, titled "That Extra Half an Inch: Hair, Heels and Everything in Between." In the book, she revealed the secrets to her often-excellent fashion and beauty choices. Her popularity expanded beyond just the United Kingdom, as she sold the rights for the book to be sold in America, Europe, Japan, and China.
Fashion time with the former pop star
During her time as Posh Spice, Victoria Beckham was always known as the fanciest and more fashion-forward member of the girl group. "The other Spice Girls weren't really into fashion, so I was fortunate to be able to take up most of the budget," she revealed to Vogue Australia about being able to keep an impressive wardrobe. Beyond just clothes, Victoria also developed a love for Hermès handbags — specifically, the French luxury brand's famous Birkin bags.
After splitting up from the Spice Girls, Victoria sold most of her wardrobe from that era for charity, but she kept her most prized possessions. "I don't really miss those outfits, but those Birkins stand the test of time," she said. Beckham also decided to become more than just a consumer for luxury fashion when she started designing clothes. First, in 2004, she teamed up with denim brand Rock & Republic for a collaboration called VB Rocks, before making her very own dVb Denim collection. Then, in 2008, she launched her eponymous fashion line during New York Fashion Week. This was also soon after the Beckhams invaded America when David Beckham signed with the Los Angeles Galaxy soccer team. While living in LA, Victoria admitted to The Sun (via the Daily Mail) that she became a total gym rat and would run four miles a day.
By 2022, her fashion label was still going strong: Victoria presented for the first time at Paris Fashion Week, with her whole family in attendance.
Victoria Beckham had a royally great year
In 2011, David and Victoria Beckham had their fourth child and first daughter, Harper Seven. According to David, Victoria's favorite book is "To Kill a Mockingbird" by Harper Lee, which is part of the reason for their daughter's moniker. The other, he explained to British Vogue, "Harper's an old English name which we loved."
Following the birth, Victoria posted on X, formerly known as Twitter, "Baby Harper is the most beautiful baby girl I have ever seen, I have fallen in love all over again!!!" While older brother Cruz began following in Victoria's musical footsteps, Harper seems to have taken after her dad in terms of being a gifted athlete, as she became interested in ice skating.
Beyond growing their family even more, the Beckhams made quite the entrance as attendees of the 2011 royal wedding between Prince William and Kate Middleton at Westminster Abbey. David and Victoria were easily two of the best dressed celebs at the event. Outside of the royal nuptials, Victoria received recognition for the continued success of her fashion brand and won designer brand of the year at the 2011 British Fashion Awards. More impressively, she earned the accolade against heavyweight competition from fellow British brands Stella McCartney and Burberry, plus Tom Ford.
The entrepreneur turned to philanthropy
In addition to being a mother, fashion designer, entrepreneur, and former pop star, Victoria Beckham also became passionate about philanthropic work. In 2014, she became a global ambassador for UNAIDS and was even a featured speaker at the United Nations headquarters in New York City that September. "It's taken me getting to 40 years old to realize I have a responsibility," she said at the event. "As a woman, as a mother, I have a voice that people will listen to. And I'm taking that responsibility very seriously. This is the beginning of an incredible journey for me." That same year, Beckham also became a spokeswoman for the Ban Bossy initiative created by Facebook's chief operating officer, Sheryl Sandberg, to encourage young women to embrace their qualities and to pursue leadership roles.
Meanwhile, Beckham also continued to prioritize her fitness routines — and reportedly spent around $36,000 on her home gym in England in 2012, in addition to expanding the fitness machines at her Los Angeles residence. According to sources cited by Closer (via the Irish Independent), she normally worked with her personal trainer in Los Angeles, Ronald Jean, every day when she was in town — and Victoria's reported routine is no joke. "For the first hour, Victoria will run, then she'll work on her back, legs and abs with squats, lunges, side planks, and sit-ups," the insider explained. "Finally, before bed, she does up to 200 sit-ups, planks and uses a skipping rope for one-minute bursts."
A prestigious title for Victoria Beckham
As a longstanding celebrity in England, Victoria Beckham received the precious Most Excellent Order of the British Empire, or OBE, in 2017. Prince William awarded her the honor for her 17 years of contribution to the fashion industry. "It was an absolute pleasure to be at Buckingham Palace today," Victoria said of the event (via BBC News). "I'm proud to be British, honored and humbled to receive my OBE from the Duke of Cambridge." With her parents and husband David Beckham, who previously received the same honor, in attendance, she acknowledged their longtime support and added, "If you dream big and work hard, you can accomplish great things."
However, to get to this point, Victoria certainly had to deal with her share of criticism, especially when it came to her physical appearance. "I've had 'Porky Posh' on a headline, I've had 'Skeletal Posh,'" she explained to Vogue Australia. "After I had Brooklyn, there was a picture on the front of a newspaper pointing to every single part of my body as to where I had to focus on losing the weight from." The fashion designer also recalled an uncomfortable and arguably sexist interview during her Spice Girl days, where the host asked her to get on a scale and weigh herself. A clip from the 1999 "Don't Forget Your Toothbrush" interview shows host Chris Evans asking Victoria if her weight was back to normal soon after giving birth to her first child, before pulling out a scale from under his desk. Major yikes.
She is a Spice Girl for life
'90s fans were ecstatic when the Spice Girls announced a reunion tour in 2019. But unfortunately, it wasn't a full lineup return, as Victoria Beckham revealed she would not be joining the four other singers. During an interview on "The Ellen DeGeneres Show" that November, Posh Spice explained that her fashion line and personal life contributed to her decision to sit out of the tour. "I had so much fun, and I'm still close with the girls, and I was so proud of them and everything that they did. It was a huge success. But for me, I loved it when I did it," she explained. Victoria added that her Spice Girl phase was over, noting, "I feel like a very different person now. I've got four children, and I'm really busy doing what I'm doing." In addition to supporting the rest of the group's reunion tour efforts, Victoria stated, "I'll always be a Spice Girl. I'll always be Posh Spice, always."
Branching out beyond fashion, Victoria also started to get into beauty around this time. After a collaboration with Estée Lauder, the former singer launched her Victoria Beckham Beauty line in 2019. It was a full success, earning profit just over a year after launching. In September 2023, she expanded the range of products to include perfumes, which were named after memorable personal events shared between herself and husband David Beckham.
Victoria Beckham's secret for a stunning transformation
At the time of this writing in 2023, Victoria Beckham is nearing 50 years old and is still, obviously, looking stunning as always — and part of this is due to her routines in diet and exercise. "I am very, very disciplined in the way that I work out, in what I eat. That's how I'm happiest. I expect a lot from my body," she told The Guardian in 2019. "... I've got four kids, I work a lot, I travel. For me to do all that, I have to eat healthily and work out."
This includes getting up before 6 am to run around four miles in about 45 minutes on the treadmill. Victoria explained that this is also the perfect time to watch TV. She'll also spend half an hour just on legs and another 30 minutes on arms, in addition to extra exercises for her core — all on top of taking her kids to school. Victoria noted of this routine, "It's part of who I am now, and I really enjoy it." And while the star once would often wear multiple layers for a more fashion-forward look, she opened up to Grazia in 2022 about her decision to include more form-fitting pieces in her clothing line: "Post-COVID, I wanted a change. I wanted to feel sexy again."
Meanwhile, the former Spice Girl is also clearly dominating as an entrepreneur. Per Celebrity Net Worth, David and Victoria Beckham are worth an estimated combined $450 million — more money than the other four Spice Girls have combined.