David Beckham spends hours cleaning his house after his family have gone to bed because he can’t stand mess.
The 47-year-old former footballer has previously opened up about his struggle with obsessive-compulsive disorder, and he’s now revealed it manifests in his devotion to keeping his home totally spotless. He has admitted that he even cleans the soot from glass candles in his quest for perfection.
Speaking in his new Netflix documentary series, Beckham explained: “I clean it so well, I’m not sure it’s actually appreciated so much by my wife, in all honesty.
“The fact is that when everyone’s in bed I then go around, clean the candles, turn the lights on to the right setting, and make sure everywhere is tidy.
“I hate coming down in the morning and there’s cups and plates and, you know, bowls. It’s tiring going around every single candle cleaning it.
“I clip the candle wax, I clean the glass. That’s my pet hate – the smoke around the inside of a candle… I know, it’s weird.”
In the teaser clip from the currently untitled series, which was shown at a launch event in London, Beckham’s wife Victoria also commented on her husband’s confession, telling him he’s “perfect” and insisting he’s “appreciated”.
Beckham then joked: “Why does it sound so sarcastic when she says that?”
The clip then showed Victoria getting ready to leave the house, telling Beckham she’s “off to the fashion factory” to do some work, but Beckham asks her: “No, where are you really going?” The Spice Girls star then giggles and confesses she’s going “for a facial”.
The documentary series will trace the star’s life and career from his early days in East London to his huge success as a top footballer.
Beckham has previously opened up about his OCD, revealing he likes to keep everything neat and tidy.
Speaking in a 2006 interview on ITV, he explained: “I have got this obsessive-compulsive disorder where I have to have everything in a straight line or everything has to be in pairs.
“I’ll put my Pepsi cans in the fridge and if there’s one too many, then I’ll put it in another cupboard somewhere.
“I’ve got that problem. I’ll go into a hotel room. Before I can relax, I have to move all the leaflets and all the books and put them in a drawer. Everything has to be perfect.”
