The loyal Beckham partners: How Jackie Apostel and Kim Turnbull cemented themselves in the family fold after Brooklyn and Nicola Peltz turned their backs on David and Victoria

Tensions between Brooklyn Beckham and his family exploded last week, when he severed all ties with his parents in his scathing six-page statement, and voiced his desire to pursue a new life with his wife Nicola Peltz in the States.

Speculation about what caused the wedge to appear between David and Victoria Beckham and their eldest child, 26, have been rife, with the cracks first beginning to be apparent following his wedding to heiress Nicola, 31, in 2022.

And in the wake of feud, the girlfriends of his brothers Romeo and Cruz, have emerged as staunch Beckham loyalists, joining together with the family to form a united front.

In David and Victoria's first public appearance since Brooklyn's damning claims, Jackie Apostel and Kim Turnbull were right by their side, joining the family in Paris to watch Victoria become a Knight of the Order of Arts and Letters.

Both women put on loved-up displays with their partners, with Cruz, 20, seen wrapping an arm around Jackie on their way into the event and Romeo, 23, holding tightly onto girlfriend Kim's hand.

They have proved themselves to be in stark contrast to Nicola by throwing their support wholeheartedly behind Victoria, 51, following Brooklyn brutal accusation against his mother that she attempted to destroy his relationship with his wife.

While they have taken the places that Brooklyn and Nicola once held as beloved members of the Beckham family, frequently attending events to show their support and sharing moments with them on social media.

Jackie Apostel

Jackie, 30, has been dating the youngest Beckham boy, since last summer, after the pair were introduced in the music studio by their managers.  

And she has been very open about her love of the Beckham clan, and publicly shown her loyalty to them on many occasions.

While the family have maintained a resounding silence in the wake of Brooklyn's shock statement, she seems keen to remain in Victoria's good books.

Unlike Brooklyn and Nicola, she was by Victoria's side with the rest of the family, when the designer, 51, was named a Knight of the Order of Arts and Letters in Paris on Monday.

And after the ceremony, she shared a gushing - and seemingly pointed - message to the star on Instagram, alongside a picture of the family together.

She penned: 'Congratulations, Victoria Beckham. Your drive, creativity, resilience but most importantly kindness and respect towards anyone around you are some of the many reason[s] why you deserve this and more.

'You lift us all up constantly and it's so beautiful to witness your hard work be recognised. We love you!!!'

After sitting front-row at Victoria's Paris Fashion Show in 2024, Jackie shared another gushing post towards the designer, writing: 'the most beautiful show and the most beautiful dress. ❤️ congratulations @victoriabeckham'.

She hasn't reserved her praise for Victoria, also paying heartfelt tributes to David over the years, with the most recent for his knighting ceremony in November - notably a momentous occasion that Brooklyn and Nicola ignored.

Sharing pictures of former footballer getting the title that he had long been hoping for, she wrote on Instagram: ‘There’s nothing quite as beautiful as seeing deserving and truly GOOD people achieve their dreams.’

And Victoria herself expressed how meaningful Jackie's public support was for her and her husband as she commented: ‘Your beautiful words mean so much x we love u xx’. 

It has also been claimed that Jackie has inherited Nicola's crown as Victoria’s protege, with the fashion designer taking a special interest in her.

Their public displays of affection, coupled with Jackie’s growing success as an influencer, make her seem like the ideal match for both Cruz and the family’s business empire.

Her blend of natural beauty, musical talent and strong social media presence makes her a valuable asset in the fashion and beauty world.

While she is also proving to be a valuable help when it comes to Cruz’s burgeoning music career. 

Her contributions to his creative process, including helping him write songs, seem to be paying off, with the youngest Beckham son headed on tour next month.

And Victoria seems to recognised this, as she has already been working to help shape Jackie's career, introducing her to top industry figures and propelling her to become a ‘big influencer’.

One source close to the Beckhams revealed to the Mail: ‘Victoria has been a massive fan of Jackie since the start and always saw her potential. She was so keen to help her become a well-known name in the industry.’

And Jackie's loyalty has paid off, with her enjoying a meteoric rise, working with major global brands on her social media, including Dior, Burberry, Jimmy Choo and Pandora.

Her online following has also grown exponentially, nearly doubling in size since she started dating fellow singer Cruz, with industry experts estimating that she now gets up to £10,000 per sponsored social media post.

Her other recent collaborations include those with Adidas, ASOS, Fendi and Harrods - a blue-chip roster that speaks volumes about her growing influence.

While the clearest sign of how well Jackie has ingratiated herself within the Beckham family’s inner circle is her collaboration with Victoria Beckham Beauty, with her even being dubbed the ‘VBB Muse’ in one social media post. 

While Jackie has also taken a leaf out of Nicola's book, by emulating Victoria's signature style, and displaying her remarkably similar looks to the Spice Girl.

She has frequently stepped out sporting outfits and hairstyles that have made fans accused her of being Victoria's doppleganger.

With her slender frame, glossy and poker straight brunette locks and stunning bone structure, Jackie bears an uncanny likeness to the star at the height of her fame in the 90s. 

She's been seen donning a chic little black dress, reminiscent of those worn by Victoria during her Posh Spice era and even copying some of the fashion designer's own stunning snaps. 

And it seems like the woman herself has given Jackie her full approval for her to copy her look, with the singer previously posing for a selfie in a sexy, black lace dress that was seemingly gifted to her by Victoria.

She wrote on Instagram at the time: 'Hot sauce and hotter outfits. thank u for the laciest dream piece @victoriabeckham'.

Her success being so closely tied to the so-called Brand Beckham, means that Jackie can be better counted on to stay loyal to the family,

One insider told Daily Mail: ‘As Jackie continues to work with major brands, make high-profile appearances and post content that resonates with her growing audience, she will likely become one of the most sought-after influencers in the industry.

'And as long as she remains close to the Beckham family, her trajectory will continue to soar.’

Kim Turnbull

Meanwhile, Kim's seen her place within the family fold solidified, after becoming the unlikely figure at the centre of the drama between Brooklyn and his family - and successfully weathering the storm.

The DJ began dating Romeo at the end of 2024 and quickly became a fixture at Beckham family events, and bonding with the whole clan.

Romeo showed how Kim had bonded with his little sister Harper, 14, last year, as he shared a sweet shot of the two girls posing together for a blurred polaroid.

She joined her boyfriend's family in Miami for Christmas in 2024, and was seen spending time on the Beckham's £16M super yacht and going to basketball games with Harper and David last year.

And she once again showed her support for Victoria at Paris Fashion Week in May, joining the whole family in sitting front row during her runway show.

Kim also took to her Instagram to pay tribute to the mother-of-four, sharing a snap of her and Romeo at the show and writing: Congratulations @victoriabeckham the most beautiful show'.

However, she and Romeo split shortly afterwards, when Brooklyn's feud with his parents put strain on their relationship.

At the time of the split, it was alleged that the London-based model was being used a 'scapegoat' in the row, following claims she had previously dated the chef. 

It was also reported that David and Victoria found it 'deeply upsetting' that Kim had been 'thrown to the wolves' for being the catalyst for the feud, after Brooklyn and Nicola skipped David's 50th birthday bash.

US website TMZ wrote at the time: 'Sources say Brooklyn and Nicola were told to show up to the main celebrations or they wouldn't get a chance to see the family... leaving the two saddened because they simply won't be around Brooklyn's brother Romeo and his girlfriend, Kim Turnbull.'

Sources also told the news outlet that Nicola can't stand to be in Kim's company, claiming she felt uncomfortable around her, because she Kim had dated Brooklyn when they were teenagers. 

Kim previously dated Madonna and Guy Ritchie's son Rocco, and through that connection was part of a tightknit friendship group in 2016 which included Brooklyn.

But following speculation about her history with the eldest Beckham son, she then shared a lengthy statement where she insisted she has only ever had a friendship with him.

Sharing a statement on her Instagram page, she said: 'I've avoided speaking on this topic to prevent adding fuel to the fire, however it's come to a point where I feel the need to address it so I can move on.

'I will not continue to receive harassment or be embarrassed on the basis of lies, to fit a certain narrative.

'I have never been romantically involved in ANY capacity at ANY point with the person in question. 

'Nothing between us has occurred further than a school friendship at age 16. I would like to remove myself from the ongoing conversation & set the record straight for the sake of everyone involved.'

Soon after Romeo shared a cryptic post about 'spreading unnecessary lies'.

But it seems that rather than Kim's relationship with the Beckham clan suffering as a result of the rumours she was the catalyst for their row with Brooklyn - it instead made the family rally more around her.

Friends of the family previously claimed that Nicola had only used Kim as an excuse to prevent Brooklyn from attending family events - some of which went so far to claim that he had told his parents he refused to come to any event where Kim was present. 

A source close to the family told the Mail last year: 'Brooklyn was close to Kim because she was dating Rocco and they all hung out in a tightknit friendship group. But that was years ago. Brooklyn and Kim were close, but there was never any romance.

'It seems Nicola doesn't like Brooklyn spending any time with the Beckhams full stop and is using his previous closeness to Kim and her getting in with the family as a reason to not be around them.

'She denies it, but Nicola has been controlling him since the wedding. The family - including the brothers - have had enough of it.

'This is the narrative that's been put out to other news outlets, that Romeo is dating his brother's ex-girlfriend - and that's really weird, so that's why they wouldn't want to be around the family when she is there.

'But none of this is true. And it's really upset Romeo and his parents because Kim is seemingly being used by Nicola as a reason to start the rift. 

'Romeo is furious at the suggestion that he would bring an ex-girlfriend of Brooklyn into the family when there never was any romance.'

While even younger brother Cruz stepped in to defend Kim, responding to a quickly-deleted message from a troll on an Instagram post of Romeo and Kim together.

The user commented: 'It's appropriate to date your brother's ex too? Cool' while Cruz shot back: 'Brooklyn and Kim never dated.'

And after Victoria, David, Romeo and Cruz showed their loyalty to Kim, she has since returned it, ignoring the barrage of harrassment to reconcile with Romeo in October.

Speculation began that the pair had rekindled their romance after he uncharacteristically 'liked' her Instagram post for the first time in six months.

In October the couple were pictured together holding hands, confirming they were back together and seeming to show that David and Victoria had definitely chosen Kim over Nicola.

This only appeared to be confirmed by Brooklyn's bombshell statement, in which he seemed to allude to his history with Kim and claims Nicola felt uncomfortable around her.

In it he claimed that his mother 'repeatedly invited women from his past into our lives in ways that were clearly intended to make us uncomfortable'. 

Yet Kim showed where her loyalties lay on Monday, as she publicly showed her support for Victoria as the matriarch was honoured by the French Ministry of Culture.

Like Jackie, she proudly watched on at the front of the crowd as the fashion designer received the accolade and also paid tribute to her on Instagram.

She gushed: 'Congratulations @victoriabeckham. A true inspiration, role model and example to us all. We love you.”