Beckham family settle libel case over newspaper claims about their marriage

England soccer captain David Beckham and his wife Victoria the former Spice Girl settled their libel case Thursday against a British tabloid that claimed the couple's marriage was a sham.

Photo: Beckham family settle libel case over newspaper claims about their marriage

Beckham, the world's most recognized soccer player, had been seeking libel damages against the News of the World newspaper over an article that carried the headline: "Posh and Becks on the Rocks."

It had been expected that the case would be heard before a judge and jury at London 's High Court after the soccer World Cup, taking place in Germany in June.

"The defamation proceedings brought by David and Victoria Beckham against the News of the World have been resolved on a confidential basis," the couple's spokeswoman, Jo Milloy, said in a statement released to reporters.

Lawyers for Beckham, 30, and his wife, 31, formerly known as Posh Spice told a pre-trial hearing last October that the couple would contest claims that they were maintaining a false image of a happy marriage to protect their financial interests.

Hugh Tomlinson, lawyer for the Beckhams, argued his clients had been defamed by the Sunday tabloid newspaper and said there was no truth in the story.

Last August, Beckham accepted damages from British tabloid The People over an article that falsely accused him of making hate calls to a former nanny.

"The defamation proceedings brought by David and Victoria Beckham against the News of the World have been resolved on a confidential basis. There will be no further comment," the newspaper's managing editor Stuart Kuttner said in a statement, reports the AP.

D.M.