Victoria Beckham and her just-as-famous husband, international soccer star David Beckham, are coming to America and reality TV with great fanfare. But before they do, the former Spice Girl clears up some misconceptions about her sometimes sour disposition, her family’s move to L.A., and her much-publicized friendship with Katie Holmes.“We are so excited about America. We want to embrace the culture with open arms,” Victoria said during an exclusive interview with Matt Lauer that aired Thursday on TODAY. “This is a huge move for us, for our children. You know, David takes his career very seriously. This is a big, big deal for us.”David, 32, just joined Major League Soccer’s Los Angeles Galaxy, which is adopting an entirely new look as the team rebuilds its franchise around the former high-scoring captain of the England’s national squad. Victoria, 33, is busy with the move into a Beverly Hills mansion reported to be worth $22 million, a planned reunion of the Spice Girls and raising sons Brooklyn, 8, Romeo, 4, and Cruz, 2.
Tabloid creation?As she walked around Manhattan recently, Victoria told Lauer that the insatiable British media is partly responsible for her image as being in a chronically foul mood. “I’ve seen a lot of photographs of you and I wonder if she’s in a good mood,” Lauer observed. “Maybe it’s because you’re hounded by the paparazzi. I don’t know. But, sometimes you do look like a little bit like [you] woke up on the wrong side of the bed.”“I know,” Victoria said, laughing. “It’s always about the outfit, you know? ... At the end of the day there’s always a lot of press around. They select the pictures they want. They make you look the way they want you to look. It’s an image. I think there are some people that would be quite devastated should I actually smile or look pleasant, for that fact.”Because soccer and David Beckham are not nearly as popular in the U.S. as they are in Europe, Victoria hopes that her young family will be able to live a relatively peaceful life in Los Angeles, where there is no shortage of celebrities for the paparazzi.Lauer sounded skeptical, noting that the British tabloid press followed the Beckhams everywhere. They dubbed Victoria “Posh Spice” even before she met Beckham in 1998, and began referring to the couple as “Posh and Becks” even before they married in the following year.“We have a great life. But we are relatively private, you know? And there are so many really famous people in L.A.,” Victoria said. “I mean, we always joke about it and say, ‘You know, you got Brad Pitt. You got Angelina Jolie. You got Tom. You got Katie. I mean, we’ll just be Victoria and David.”
Posh on Katie
“Tom and Katie,” actors Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes, are the Beckhams’ new neighbors and friends in Beverly Hills. With very little prodding by Lauer, Victoria brought up the controversy surrounding Holmes' decision to practice Scientology after meeting Cruise, whom she later married.
“Much has been made of your friendship with Katie Holmes. What attracted you two in the first place?” Lauer asked.“She’s a very strong, sweet, lovely girl. She’s helped me so much with the move. She’s genuinely a nice girl ... There’s been so much made of the Scientology, the this, the that. They are genuinely lovely people. Wonderful family.”“So, it never even comes up with you?” Lauer asked. “When you guys are socializing, Scientology is not an issue.”“No. It’s just a friendship,” Victoria said. “I mean, they do their thing. We do our thing.”Apparently, Victoria’s “thing” doesn’t include cleaning toilets. At least not herself.The couple has a part-time nanny and house cleaner, but Victoria said she insists that the boys make their own beds and pick up their things. And, if need be, Victoria said she is capable and willing to pick up a brush and clean the loo.“Every now and then,” she admits. “In a pinch.”
On Monday, NBC will present “Victoria Beckham: Coming to America,” a one-hour special chronicling Victoria’s move to Los Angeles and moments spent with a small circle of friends as she shops for a home and acclimates to life in Hollywood. The special airs at 8 p.m. ET/ 7 CT.