Brooklyn Beckham’s cover-up of a tattoo dedicated to his dad, Sir David Beckham, has been revealed.

The 26-year-old caused a social media storm in late January by posting a scathing statement after months of speculation about a Beckham family rift.

In a series of Instagram Stories, Brooklyn ripped into ‘Brand Beckham’, accusing parents Sir David Beckham and Victoria Beckham of ‘controlling’ him from a young age.

He also defended his wife, 31-year-old American actress Nicola, whom he wed in 2022, and who he says has been consistently ‘disrespected’ by his relatives.

Now, in the latest indication of worsening relations between the Beckhams, a tattoo of an anchor on Brooklyn’s arm that previously read ‘dad’ has been covered up by unknown symbols.

Previously, a source told Metro David is ‘obviously heartbroken’ at this latest snub from his oldest child.

‘David is obviously heartbroken over Brooklyn’s decision to cover up his tribute to him,’ our source shared.

‘It feels like a deep cut, even after everything that was said in his statement.

In his memoir, Sir David said his tattoos were an ‘expression of how he feels about Victoria and the kids,’ and it’s been clear over the years that Brooklyn has used tattoos to express similar sentiments about the people in his life.

A source told The Sun about Brooklyn’s anchor tattoo: ‘Brooklyn’s had laser treatment on the writing. He wanted it gone.

‘There is so much hurt and pain on his side, it would not be genuine to keep such a tribute on his body.’

He has also previously covered up the tattoo on his chest, reading ‘mama’s boy’ over his heart, which was dedicated to Victoria.

The words have been hidden within a sketch of Nicola’s bouquet from their wedding day, which comes after he vowed to ‘always choose’ his other half.

For now, a source claims David still has all of his tattoos paying tribute to Brooklyn.

The source confirmed: ‘David still has his tribute to Brooklyn, his nickname Buster on his neck, and has no plans to cover it up.’

He has all the kids names written on his body, including Brooklyn in large lettering on his lower back and ‘we love you daddy’ in his children’s handwriting.

One of the most visible is Brooklyn’s nickname ‘Buster’ in small lettering on his neck with a heart next to it.

When he revealed the ink, the former England captain wrote on Instagram: ‘I’ve always called Brooklyn (Buster) since the day he was born… Love you Bust.’

As the rift between Brooklyn and his parents rages on, Nicola Peltz’s father, Nelson, has said he wants his family to ‘stay the hell out of the press’.

The 83-year-old billionaire continued: ‘I’ll tell you my daughter’s great, my son-in-law, Brooklyn, is great, and I look forward to them having a long, happy marriage together.’

Got a story?

If you’ve got a celebrity story, video or pictures get in touch with the Metro.co.uk entertainment team by emailing us celebtips@metro.co.uk, calling 020 3615 2145 or by visiting our Submit Stuff page – we’d love to hear from you.

MORE: David Beckham left ‘heartbroken’ over Brooklyn’s tattoo removal dig

MORE: Nicola Peltz’s dad finally addresses Beckham family feud in scathing statement

MORE: Mock the Week returns and ruthlessly mocks Beckham family feud

Geoffrey Vanes was among a group of people who gathered outside the victim’s home shouting threats before he was brutally attacked when he hit the ground.

One of the group scaled a drainpipe to get to the upstairs off the property shortly before the man fell to the ground, Teesside Crown Court heard.

The 40-year-old was seen to strike the man three times before another person started kicking and stamping on the prone victim outside the property on Derwent Street in Hartlepool.

Rachel Butt, prosecuting, said the defendant then struck the man again as he struggled to get back to his feet.

She said the victim managed to escape and take sanctuary in a shop until the police arrived and he was taken to hospital.

The court heard how the man suffered a dislocated right elbow and damage to his spine as a result of the incident.

Vanes, of Windermere Road, Hartlepool, pleaded guilty to affray and possession of an offensive weapon following the attack on August 1 last year.

Rachel Kelly, mitigating, said: “He said he felt ashamed when he viewed the evidence and had told the probation officer that he regretted the impact of the incident on the victim.

Read more:

“There is genuine remorse shown by the defendant in his pre-sentence report.”

Judge Nathan Adams sentenced Vanes to 22 months in custody for the attack on the man in his own home.

“The was quite clearly a targeted attack on him at his property,” he said.

“It is not clear exactly how he came to fall, he says he was pushed out of the window, but what we do know is that when he hits the ground, you repeatedly hit him with a weapon whilst he is on the ground.”

Disabled people with lived experience will oversee the first ever comprehensive review of Personal Independence Payment, with findings expected by autumn 2026

Advertisement

Disabled individuals will have their perspectives placed front and centre in the first-ever thorough examination of Personal Independence Payment (PIP), following the selection of 12 members to its steering group. Those appointed bring first-hand knowledge of living with disabilities or chronic health conditions, as well as hands-on experience working within Disabled People’s Organisations (DPOs).

Their specialist knowledge spans welfare policy, accessibility, and advocacy, with members boasting credentials in co-production, governance and leadership. The group will chart the strategic course and help set priorities and a work plan for the Timms Review, working alongside the Review’s three co-chairs: Minister Sir Stephen Timms, Sharon Brennan, and Dr Clenton Farquharson CBE.

The group will scrutinise PIP’s function in empowering disabled people to achieve improved health outcomes and lead independent lives, the PIP assessment criteria for daily living and mobility, and how the assessment could facilitate access to appropriate support across the benefits system.

PIP claims have skyrocketed in recent years. In 2019, two million working-age people were receiving PIP, but that number has climbed to more than 3.9 million by the end of October 2025.

The DWP has projected that PIP claimant numbers will surpass four million by the decade’s end. The Timms Review has been established to ensure PIP remains equitable and fit for purpose going forward – taking into account people’s real-world conditions, their hopes and ambitions, whilst acknowledging how society has evolved since the benefit’s original conception and introduction, reports the Mirror.

According to the DWP, since PIP’s introduction in 2013, there have been shifting trends in long-term health conditions and disability. While more individuals are living with disabilities, the growth in disability benefit recipients is running at double the rate of rising prevalence amongst working-age adults across England and Wales.

The Timms Review is scheduled to present its conclusions to the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions by autumn 2026, with an interim progress report expected in advance. Minister for Social Security and Disability Sir Stephen Timms commented: “Disabled people deserve a system that truly supports them to live with independence and dignity, and that fairly reflects the reality of their lives today.

“That’s why we’re putting disabled people at the heart of this Review – ensuring their voices shape the changes that will help them achieve better health, greater independence, and access to the right support when they need it. We’re delighted to announce the appointment of the steering group members, who alongside myself and the Review’s co-chairs will report back to the Secretary of State in the autumn.”

Co-chair Sharon Brennan stated: “The group we have chosen shows our commitment to ensuring this review is co produced with people from a diversity of backgrounds including lived and living experience, protected characteristics, geographies and professions.

“But 15 people can’t represent everyone, which is why our work will be part of a wider engagement process to ensure we hear from many more voices throughout the review.”

Dr Clenton Farquharson CBE, also a co-chair, said: “Personal Independence Payment plays a vital role in enabling disabled people to live independent lives. This Review will listen closely to lived experience, test whether the system is fair, and ensure PIP reflects the realities of disability in the modern world.”

A coalition of charities has welcomed the inclusion of disabled people on the steering group, but warned “it cannot become about making cuts”.

The Disability Benefits Consortium (DBC) – a coalition of more than 100 charities, including the MS Society, Scope, Parkinson’s UK and Mencap – said the review offers a chance for “real change” to an assessment system which is “not only stressful, they fail to recognise the impact of fluctuating and progressive conditions like MS – often denying people the support they need to live independently”.

Charles Gillies, DBC policy co-chair and senior policy officer at the MS Society, described it as “undeniably positive that most members of the new steering group have lived experience of disability or claiming PIP”. He added: “This review must now engage meaningfully with the steering group and disabled people more generally, and remain laser-focused on improving the fairness of PIP assessments – or we risk this vital opportunity being wasted. And crucially, it cannot become about making cuts.”

What happens next

The steering group’s work has already commenced. Following an informal introductory call and induction session in January 2026, the forthcoming weeks will include:

• The first formal steering group meetings;
• The start of detailed co-production and policy work in February;
• Preparations for a broader, fully accessible engagement programme beyond the steering group, launching in the spring.

Les Bleus sliced through Ireland at times and while Farrell’s charges showed plenty of heart in the second period to stay in the game, the damage was done

Ireland head coach Andy Farrell bemoaned a lack of ‘fight and intent’ in Ireland’s first-half display that saw them trail 22-0 to France at the break in Thursday night’s Six Nations opener.

Les Bleus sliced through Ireland at times and while Farrell’s charges showed plenty of heart in the second period to stay in the game, the damage was done long before the half-time whistle was even blown.

“France were playing a different game to us in the first-half. I suppose, you make your own luck in this game and rightly so with the way that they went about their business,” Farrell told Virgin Media after the game.

“They created a few chances off the back of scraps on the floor or high balls and stuff like that, but that’s the game. You’ve got to show a bit of fight and intent, and we lacked a bit of that in the first-half which is very disappointing.”

On Ireland’s missed tackle tally of 19 in the first-half, Farrell said “It is (disappointing) because it is the intention isn’t it? It was wet weather rugby, but getting through tackles and earning the right to offload. It weren’t risky play that they were doing, it was earning the right to offload because they were winning the contacts.

“But congratulations to France, as I said, they were on a different level at times there. A bit of a response – more than a bit of a response in the second-half, but worthy winners, that’s for sure.”

On his substitutions, Farrell said “They did (have an impact), but it wasn’t rocket science. It was just to have a bit of go-forward, a bit of grunt in the way that they went about their business, and we got a couple of tries off the back of that, and it’s a pity that we couldn’t get a few more in the end because every point matters in this competition as we know.”

As for the week ahead, Farrell is anticipating an interesting few days on the training field before next Saturday’s clash with Italy at the Aviva Stadium.

Advertisement

“Hell of a lot of work to do, and we need to be honest about this because you don’t get a result like this and not take the learnings from it, so it has to stand for something.”

Former Ireland star Conor Murray believes Ireland will stick to their kicking gameplan for the remainder of the Six Nations.

Farrell’s men opted for a box-kicking barrage on Thursday night at a soaking wet Stade de France, and while many of the kicks led to proper contests, Ireland failed to secure enough ball to put a dent in an awesome French performance, particularly in the first-half.

Speaking on Virgin Media after the game, ex Ireland star Shane Horgan referenced how Ireland were outfought and outscrapped for those loose balls, bemoaning Ireland’s inability to get the ball back from 50/50 contests.

“They didn’t do it, and they couldn’t win the game as a result,” said Horgan.

Taking up on Horgan’s point, Murray – the box-kick king for many years in a green shirt – agreed with his former teammate, but spoke about how luck plays a huge role in this tactic.

“There’s a certain element of luck to it as well. If you look at all the kicks, the majority of them were on the ball and accurate from Jamison/Sam, those contestable balls in the air, and you know the boys are working on it hard.

“It’s that scrap – when the ball breaks, who wins that? It’s a 50/50 lottery and some days it just goes against you.

“I find it hard to find the answer to that if the kicks are on the money.

“They’ll stick with it and hope they win scraps, you know, the winger contesting off the kicking and then it’s the boys in behind who are probably more important in winning possession back.”

Click here to sign up to our sport newsletter, bringing you the latest sports news, headlines and top stories

Following its initial year in operation in the North East, Project Vigilant will continue with further deployments planned during 2026 to build on the good work already carried out in the partnership scheme.

The initiative is aimed at targeting perpetrator behaviours, which are often displayed before a sexual offence, or those of spiking and theft takes place.

It is a joint effort involving the North East Regional Organised Crime Unit (NEROCU), Cleveland, Durham and Northumbria police forces and all three regional Police and Crime Commissioners (PCCs).

Their combined aim is to ensure a safer environment for members of the public enjoying a night out.

Proactive policing in the night-time economy to target potential perpetrators of sexual, spiking or theft offences (Image: North Yorkshire Police)

Project Vigilant began in Thames Valley in 2019, and has spread nationwide, with its introduction in North Yorkshire in 2023, and in the three North East force areas, in December 2024.

Specially trained plain-clothed officers are deployed in and about night-scene venues, identifying individuals displaying predatory behaviour.

Plain-clothes officers helping to spot potential perpetrators of sexual, spiking or theft offences in the night-time economy (Image: North Yorkshire Police)

These include harassment, loitering without reason and stalking behaviour.

They are stopped by police, inquiries are carried out, dispersal orders given or, where necessary, arrests are made.

Both uniformed and plain-clothed officers patrol areas where busy night-time venues thrive looking for potential offence perpetrators (Image: North Yorkshire Police)

A total of 42-per cent of the individuals identified and stopped by officers during the most recent deployment had previous links to offences of violence against women and girls, including domestic abuse or sexual offending.

One man stopped and arrested was in breach of his Sexual Harm Prevention Order and another man was found to have quantities of controlled drugs on him, including two capped needles.

Detective Chief Inspector Max Leonard, of NEROCU, said: “We know women are taught from a young age to stay extra vigilant on a night out, but that responsibility shouldn’t be on them.

“We want to reassure all members of the public that these targeted police operations will continue to be carried out across the North East, with the aim of proactively preventing violence and sexual offences against women and girls and ensuring a safer environment for all.

“Our efforts alongside our partners will not slow down, and I want to state clearly to the public that we remain committed to support the regional mission to tackle this issue

“We also urge anyone with any concerns about someone’s behaviour to report it to police.”

Cleveland PCC Matt Storey said: “It is extremely important that women and girls feel they can socialise in the evening and fully take part in the night time economy without fear of abuse or harassment.”

His Durham counterpart, Joy Allen, said: “These results prove the value in tackling predatory behaviour early.

“Undoubtedly, the swift actions of officers have prevented harm and protected women or girls becoming victims of appalling offences, the emotional impact of which could last a lifetime.”

Northumbria PCC, Susan Dungworth: “This week it’s Sexual Abuse and Sexual Violence Awareness Week and I think it’s really important to be highlighting proactive policing efforts like Project Vigilant which involves officers working hard behind the scenes to help keep people safe on a night out.

Read next … more crime stories from The Northern Echo, by clicking here

“This activity sends a clear message that our police forces are working together, through the NEROCU, and are doing so much more than responding to crimes and supporting the vulnerable.”

Any victim of a sexual assault, whether recently or in the past, is encouraged to contact their local police force.

If anyone has information or concerns about someone’s behaviour they can report it to police or via the independent charity Crimestoppers, anonymously, on (0800) 555111.

French rugby was rocked by the sudden retirement of tighthead prop Uini Atonio, who suffered a cardiac event recently. At fly-half, Bordeaux’s Matthieu Jalibert starts, with Toulouse fly-half Romain Ntamack out injured. Anthony Jelonch starts at number eight, with Gregory Alldritt not in the squad.

France starting XV: 15 Thomas Ramos; 14 Theo Attissogbe; 13 Nicolas Depoortere, 12 Yoram Moefana; 11 Louis Bielle-Biarrey; 10 Matthieu Jalibert, 9 Antoine Dupont (captain); 1 Jean-Baptiste Gros, 2 Julien Marchand, 3 Dorian Aldegheri; 4 Charles Ollivon, 5 Mickael Guillard; 6 Francois Cros, 7 Oscar Jegou, 8 Anthony Jelonch.

Replacements: 16 Peato Mauvaka, 17 Rodrigue Neti, 18 Regis Montagne, 19 Hugo Auradou, 20 Emmanual Meafou, 21 Lenni Nouchi, 22 Baptiste Serin, 23 Kalvin Gourgues.

The injuries have piled up for Ireland as there is no Tadhg Furlong, Andrew Porter, Mack Hansen or Robbie Henshaw available this week. With a number of props missing, Jeremy Loughman and Thomas Clarkson are given the chance to start. Jacob Stockdale has been given the nod to start on the wing ahead of James Lowe. Sam Prendergast has earned the nod to start at fly-half. Head coach Andy Farrell has opted for a six-two forwards-backs split on the bench.

Ireland starting XV: 15 Jamie Osborne; 14 Tommy O’Brien; 13 Garry Ringrose, 12 Stuart McCloskey; 11 Jacob Stockdale; 10 Sam Prendergast, 9 Jamison Gibson-Park; 1 Jeremy Loughman, 2 Dan Sheehan, 3 Thomas Clarkson; 4 Joe McCarthy, 5 Tadhg Beirne; 6 Cian Prendergast, 7 Josh van der Flier, 8 Caelan Doris (captain).

Replacements: 16 Ronan Kelleher, 17 Michael Milne, 18 Finlay Bealham, 19 James Ryan, 20 Jack Conan, 21 Nick Timoney, 22 Craig Casey, 23 Jack Crowley.