Watch: how the Beckhams invented the celebrity wedding
When David Beckham and Victoria Adams tied the knot in 1999 they didn't just create a marriage — they launched an empire. Their £1 million deal with OK! shattered records, quadrupled the magazine's circulation to 1.7 million copies and sparked newsstand scuffles across Britain. This wasn't just a celebrity wedding, it was the birth of 'Brand Beckham' and the blueprint for modern celebrity culture.
In this Style Stories episode, the Sunday Times fashion director Karen Dacre reveals how matching purple outfits, golden thrones and a Robin Hood-themed reception transformed celebrity weddings from private affairs into carefully orchestrated media spectacles — a template now followed by everyone from the Biebers to the Kardashians and even the Beckhams' own son Brooklyn.
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The Sun
24 minutes ago
- The Sun
‘It's not nice to see' – Lewis Hamilton warned he's suffering from same issue as Michael Schumacher after Ferrari switch
LEWIS HAMILTON is "lost" and suffering the same problem that fellow Formula One icon Michael Schumacher did. Hamilton, 40, has struggled to extract top performance from his Ferrari machinery since joining the team over the winter. 4 4 The Brit has achieved one Sprint Race win in China but has otherwise failed to achieve a podium for the Scuderia. Former F1 star and Sky Sports F1 pundit Johnny Herbert believes Hamilton is suffering the same issues as Schumacher, 56, did when he came back to the motorsport after a break. That being the "raw pace just isn't there anymore", a thought which Herbert says is "not nice to see". Schumacher - whose ex-F1 boss gave an insight into his health battle - retired from F1 in 2006 before returning with Mercedes in 2010, but only achieved one podium in three seasons with the Silver Arrows. Speaking to InstantWithdrawalBettingSites, Herbert, 60, said: "It just looks like Lewis Hamilton is lost, really lost. "I don't know if the raw pace that he's always had throughout his career is there anymore. "I thought, with the pure racing skill Hamilton had, he'd be able to drive around any problems with the car but he seems stuck in a hole. It's not nice to see. "It's not the first time we've seen it in the sport, though. Nigel Mansell won his championship in 1992, went to America in 1993, came back in 1994 and it didn't work anymore for him. "It happened with Michael Schumacher too, when he had his break and came back, then he wasn't the same Schumacher as before. "You're always going to have your peak and an end of your peak. It's not nice to see." Hamilton's team-mate Charles Leclerc has raised his own complaints about the car and race engineers, but has managed to eke out better results with three podium finishes, including back-to-back in Monaco and Spain. Herbert added: "I know Charles Leclerc is not happy with the car either, but at least he's getting podium finishes consistently. "There have been a couple of poor decisions in Ferrari's strategy and poor communication over the radio, Hamilton doesn't have the synergy with his engineer that he needs. "He hasn't found his comfort zone since the sprint win in China. "Sometimes you don't realise when it's not as easy as it was before, but when you look across the garage and your team-mate is outperforming you, then it may click. "The greats of the sport, at their peak, get the best out of their car. Max Verstappen is doing it right now. Hamilton just can't seem to get the extra he needs anymore. "He won't understand why he can't, because he'll feel like he should be able to. But, Leclerc is outperforming you in the same car. Leclerc is only going to grow and is in control of Ferrari's future. "He's the guy they can rely on, Ferrari can't rely on Lewis Hamilton at this point. It's horrible to say but it's the truth." Former Mercedes and McLaren star Hamilton appeared close to tears following the Spanish Grand Prix where he finished P6, even after a penalty for old rival Max Verstappen bumped him up the order. 4 Hamilton later apologised to Sky Sports F1 presenter Rachel Brookes after his blunt response to a question, where he snapped: "Well what do you want me to say? I had a really bad day and I've got nothing to say. 'It was a difficult day, I've got nothing else to add to it. There's no point explaining it." Hamilton will now have next weekend off to help him collect his thoughts before getting back behind the wheel for the Canadian Grand Prix on June 15. McLaren pair Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris lead the World Drivers Championship, with the Aussie leading by 10 points after claiming victory in Barcelona last weekend. He has opened up a huge 49-point gap to reigning four-time world champion Verstappen after the Dutchman lost his head and crashed into Mercedes' George Russell when asked to yield his position. Despite calls to be disqualified, the incident saw the Red Bull driver being given a 10-second time penalty, dropping him from P5 to P10, and slapped with three penalty points on his FIA Super Licence. That decision has placed him on the brink of a race ban after collecting 11 out of a maximum of 12 penalty points. The system works on a 12-month rolling timer, but the next time the 27-year-old will see any points taken off his record will be June 30. Races are due to commence in Montreal and Spielberg before that date, meaning he will have to be on his best behaviour to avoid a ban. Picking up another point in Canada will mean a ban for his team's home race at the Red Bull Ring, meanwhile, a point in Austria would see him banned for the British Grand Prix on July 6. Hamilton himself sits P6 in the standings, while his team have squeezed their way into P2.
Daily Mail
24 minutes ago
- Daily Mail
Revealed: Boris Becker's unusual advice for Alexander Zverev involving his model girlfriend after lacklustre French Open defeat to Novak Djokovic
Boris Becker offered an unusual piece of advice to fellow German Alexander Zverev on the heels of his quarter-final defeat to Novak Djokovic at this year's French Open. The world No3 had enjoyed a relatively untroubled journey through the Roland-Garros draw, only taken beyond straight-sets wins in his second-round match against Jesper de Jong - and handed an extended break between matches when his fourth-round opponent Tallon Griekspoor retired in the second set. But Zverev had a more challenging time against the Serbian serial champion on Wednesday night, with the pair meeting for the first time since their abortive Australian Open semi-final ended prematurely when the 24-time Grand Slam champion withdrew due to injury. The 28-year-old claimed a cagey first set 6-4, but quickly disintegrated to allow the older player a shot at a historic 25th majors title with his 4-6, 6-3, 6-2, 6-4 win. The quarter-final exit comes on the heels of a tricky post-Melbourne run for the German star, which has seen him book a number of unedifying first-round exits at Masters tournaments on clay. In the midst of his 2025 dip in form, Becker had a remedy for his compatriot - albeit one that Zverev might be loath to accept. 'He no longer wants to play every week, but his family pushes him,' the six-time Grand Slam champion assessed, via 'Father (Alexander Snr, former player and his coach) wanted to play all the time, brother (Misha, another former player) too. 'And Sascha has to learn to put an end to it, to go on vacation, spend time with his daughter, his girlfriend Sophia (Thomalla), to get away from tennis. 'Otherwise, it will burn out, it will become "ballaballa".' 'Ballaballa' is a largely untranslatable German phrase which suggests a nonsensical plan. Zverev may wish to heed Becker's words and spend more time with Thomalla, who he has been in a relationship with since 2021. The 35-year-old German actress and model often travels with her partner, but presenting and brand commitments also keep her tethered to their home country. But Thomalla makes sure to travel with the world No3 to the major tournament, often sharing their journeys together on social media. As well as broadcasting, the influencer is often spotted at exotic beachside locations In January ahead of the Australian Open, the influencer shed light on the player's bizarre nighttime routine, revealing that every time Zverev goes to bed he 'goes to the toilet three times, and then back to bed, back and forth like that. 'I get the urge to cry every night and think to myself: now, just come to bed.' Thomalla added. The pair also went briefly viral during the tournament Down Under when locker room cameras captured the pair celebrating the player's win with an elaborate customised handshake. But the tournament also saw Zverev heckled by a member of the crowd during the trophy presentation after the final where he finished runner-up. A woman repeatedly shouted: 'Australia believes Olya and Brenda' before being removed by the crowd, in reference to two cases of domestic assault that Zverev had been accused of. In 2020 Olya Sharypova, a former girlfriend of Zverev, posted on Instagram accusing him of assaulting her multiple times, allegations she expanded upon in interviews. Sharypova did not go to the police but the ATP instituted a 15-month, independent investigation. In 2023 it was announced that Zverev would face no punishment as there was insufficient evidence to support Sharypova's claims. Before dating Thomalla, Zverev was in a relationship with Brenda Patea, who accused him in 2023 of domestic abuse in 2020. In May last year, separate accusations of domestic abuse from Brenda Patea, the mother of Zverev's daughter, went to a German court. The case was later settled, with the court telling the BBC: 'The decision is not a verdict, and it is not a decision about guilt or innocence. 'One decisive factor for the court decision was that the witness has expressed her wish to end the trial. The defendant agreed to the termination of the case.' When asked about Sunday's protestor, Zverev said: 'I believe there are no more accusations. There haven't been for, what, nine months now. 'Good for her. I think she was the only one in the stadium who believed anything in that moment. If that's the case, good for her.
The Guardian
26 minutes ago
- The Guardian
Djokovic has nowhere to hide against relentless Sinner in Paris showdown
'These kind of matchups and challenges in a way extract the best out of me,' said Novak Djokovic, smiling, as the clock ticked into the early hours of Thursday morning. Djokovic had demonstrated that sentiment in real time as he spectacularly rose to the occasion against the third-best player in the world, utilising the full breadth of his complete, unprecedented game to defeat Alexander Zverev and return to the semi-finals of the French Open, where he will face Jannik Sinner. 'Playing best-of-five, late stages of a grand slam against No 1 in the world, you can't get more motivated than that for me at this age,' said Djokovic. Although this performance had been preceded by a barren run of form on the ATP tour that included numerous early losses, the grand slam tournaments are now the sole source of Djokovic's motivation. No matter how he performs elsewhere, the 38-year-old has continually shown he still steps up on the biggest stages. Just as he excelled against Zverev in Paris, Djokovic was spectacular in January when he defeated Carlos Alcaraz at the Australian Open. His next task is the toughest of all. With two rounds to go here, no player in the men's draw has come close to replicating the sustained level Sinner has demonstrated. He has been ruthless, dismantling opponents with relentless efficiency and forcing them on to the back foot from the start. Against Alexander Bublik and Jiri Lehecka, Sinner's opponents were reduced to passionately celebrating winning their first game of the match after being bamboozled from the start. Three weeks ago, Sinner returned to a tennis court on home soil at the Italian Open following his three-month doping ban and immediately reached the final. After ending his rival's run in the final, Alcaraz warned that with such positive reinforcement from his comeback tournament and more time to fine-tune his game, Sinner would be at his most dangerous in Paris. He has still not dropped a set. 'I know what to expect from Jannik,' said Djokovic. 'He's going to come out. He's going to play on a very high level, as he did basically every tournament that he played in the last year and a half. I don't expect anything less from him.' The problem with facing Sinner these days is that there is nowhere to hide. His destructive forehand is complemented by arguably the best two-handed backhand in the game. His serve has significantly improved, becoming a key factor in his success, but he is also an elite returner, constantly putting opponents under pressure behind their own serves. Although Sinner is one of the heaviest ball-strikers on the tour, the 23-year-old has also evolved into one of the best defenders. His opponents have been as ineffective at piercing his defence as they have been at absorbing the pace he generates. Sinner's recent record against Djokovic, which is now tied at 4-4 overall, underlines his rise. After losing their first three meetings, including consecutive matches in the latter rounds of Wimbledon, Sinner has won their last three. His victory over Djokovic in the semi-finals of the 2024 Australian Open, en route to the first grand slam title of his career, was a seminal moment in Sinner's development that provided him with the proof that he could beat anyone anywhere. Eighteen months later, Sinner is a better player than ever. Since August, he has won 46 of his last 48 matches and only Alcaraz has defeated him. Although Djokovic can still compete at the highest level and disrupt Sinner's rhythm, not even the Serb knows his ceiling at this point of his career and whether he can sustain the quality and physicality across possibly five sets against the best in the world. On Friday, he will take a step into the unknown to see exactly what the moment extracts from him.
