Will Posh turn to Scientology?

Daily Express, UK/January 14, 2007
By Mike Parker

David Beckham could be facing a few arguments with his wife over Scientology when they settle in Los Angeles this summer. He knows senior figures in the cult religion will be looking to sign Victoria and himself up as big cash donors and there could even be an appeal for aid from a celebrity supporter – the couple’s new best friend Tom Cruise.

While Becks shows a healthy scepticism about the cult, the former Posh Spice appears more likely to lend a sympathetic ear.

At Hollywood star Cruise’s Scientology wedding to Katie Holmes in Italy last November, Victoria spent some time getting to know David Miscavige, 46, Cruise’s best man and the head of the “church”.

And in what may have been music to the ears of Scientologists, Becks had warm words for Cruise, 44, when he announced his move from Real Madrid to LA Galaxy for an eye-popping £128million.

Becks, 31, even called Cruise to get some tips on life in LA and called the Mission Impossible star a “very wise man and a very good friend”.

Victoria said recently: “I’ve spoken to Tom about Scientology. I’m quite inquisitive but I don’t know anything about it. They do what they do and they’re cool.”

Cruise and Katie, 28, regularly entertain friends at the Scientology Celebrity Centre in Hollywood, which boasts a spa, gym and gourmet dining room as well as five-star bedrooms for members or guests.

A former Scientologist said: “Anyone who’s in it will do anything to bring other members into the church. At the very highest level, it’s a honeypot, because the facilities are luxurious and celebrities are treated like royalty.

“Unfortunately, that’s what appeals to many of them and before they know it, they’re being trained in Scientology classes every week.”

The Scientology issue has already caused some arguments between the Beckhams, according to their friends. One said: “David is not so keen on the whole celebrity jetset, certainly not as keen as Victoria.

“She is far more receptive to the idea of Scientology and has been reading up on it while David is dead set against it.

“He doesn’t mind being friends with Tom and Katie but he is not interested in Scientology. He is worried that once you become a part of it, it is difficult to extricate yourself.”

Victoria also faces a tough time if she starts throwing her money around in front of the WAGS (wives and girlfriends) of her husband’s LA Galaxy teammates.

The pop star turned fashion designer won’t even be the stand-out glamour queen there. Model and actress Bianca Kajlich, 29, has just married Galaxy captain and US World Cup star Landon Donovan and landed a plum role on a CBS TV series called Rules Of Engagement.

Swimsuit model Shannon Foster, 26, is the girlfriend of dreadlocked midfielder Cobi Jones and has just been cast in her first film. Another model, Leah Imperatore, has become the talk of the WAGS after flying to Philadelphia to marry Galaxy defender Chris Albright.

Even they seem like small-time players alongside the real queen of the LA sporting scene – Vanessa Bryant, wife of 28-year-old LA Lakers basketball star Kobe Bryant. Like Posh, she started in showbusiness as a backing dancer in pop videos.

For her 19th birthday, Bryant bought her a Lamborghini Murcielago, worth more than £410,000. When she told him she couldn’t use a gearstick, he spent another £61,000 converting it to an automatic.

Becks also showers his wife with gifts but last night a friend of one of the Galaxy players’ wives said: “There’s already resentment among the girls towards Victoria because of how much more David will be making than their husbands.

“If she thinks she’s going to walk in here like the Queen of England she’s going to find herself in for a very, very rude awakening.”