David Beckham To Open Up About Lifelong OCD Struggles In Upcoming Netflix Series

Former footballer David Beckham will address his lifelong struggles with Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD) in an upcoming Netflix series that reveals his daily rituals and how he copes with the condition. The streaming giant confirmed last year that it had signed a £16million deal with David to produce a docuseries about his life and career, which will feature unseen archive footage, interviews with the sportsman, his family and friends, and key figures who have been part of his journey both on and off the pitch.

In new clips, released ahead of the documentary, David reveals that his OCD makes him spend hours every night cleaning his home, after his family has gone to bed. The 47-year-old explains that he cleans everything in his home, including used candles and even the smoke around the inside of a candle, which he referred to as his “pet hate.” He also admits that he clips the candle wax and cleans the glass, even though he admits that it is “weird.”

OCD is a mental health condition that plague sufferers with obsessive thoughts and compulsions that have significant impacts on their daily life. This can manifest in many ways, including obsessive cleaning to a particular standard, body dysmorphia, compulsive skin picking and hoarding, according to the mental health charity Mind.

For David, things around him have to be organized to a particular standard. In the footage, filmed by a camera crew in his kitchen, Victoria, his wife, corroborated the story by telling the production team, “He’s just so perfect.”

David, who has spoken openly about his struggles with OCD for over two decades, has previously revealed his need to keep everything in straight lines or pairs. He would count clothes and place magazines in symmetrical patterns, he said in a 2006 interview with the Daily Mail. The father of four also revealed at the time that one of the reasons for his continuous experiments with tattoos is that he is addicted to the pain of the needle, 

Beyond his mental health struggles, the Netflix documentary directed and produced by Academy Award winning director Fisher Stevens and John Battsek, looks back on Beckham’s working-class beginnings in east London, and the drive and determination that led him to become one of the most recognisable and scrutinized athletes of all time. While it sheds light on a lesser-known aspect of Beckham’s life, it will also help to raise awareness of OCD, which affects around one in every 50 people in the UK.

In an Instagram post, the former Manchester United player said he was “excited to confirm” the partnership with Netflix and that the series would feature “untold stories as well as interviews with the people who have been a part of my journey.” The series is set to premiere later this year.