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Rebecca Loos claims Beckham is "playing the victim" over affair scandal

<p>Rebecca Loos, the woman at the centre of the alleged <a href="https://www.oversixty.co.nz/finance/legal/woman-at-the-centre-of-alleged-beckham-affair-breaks-silence" target="_blank" rel="noopener">affair scandal</a> with iconic football legend David Beckham, has recently shared her thoughts on the new <em>Beckham</em> docuseries, which was released on Netflix.</p> <p>Loos, now 47 and residing in Norway with her husband and two children, expressed her concerns regarding the way the affair was handled in the docuseries, which was produced in collaboration with Beckham's production company.</p> <p>In the early 2000s, Loos gained notoriety for her claims of a romantic involvement with David Beckham during his time as a football superstar. In the docuseries, the Beckhams primarily discussed the media frenzy that ensued following Loos' revelations in 2003, but skirted around the specifics of the affair itself.</p> <p>It was during that tumultuous period that Loos had declared her connection with the football player while working as his personal assistant, even suggesting that the Beckhams had been dealing with marital issues before her involvement came to light. At the time, the celebrity couple vehemently denied any wrongdoing and even considered legal action against Loos.</p> <p>Victoria Beckham, 49, revealed in the docuseries, "It was the most unhappy I have ever been in my entire life," while David Beckham, 48, tearfully stated, "Victoria is everything to me. To see her hurt was incredibly difficult… what we had was worth fighting for."</p> <p>Loos, however, took issue with David's statement. In a <a href="https://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz/article-12657157/rebecca-loos-affair-david-beckham-netflix.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">candid interview with the Daily Mail</a>, she expressed her frustration: "The [worst] bit for me is that he says he didn't like seeing his wife suffer. That bothered me. Because he's the one that's caused the suffering. He can say whatever he likes, of course, and I understand he has an image to preserve, but he is portraying himself as the victim and he's making me look like a liar, like I've made up these stories. He is indirectly suggesting that I'm the one who has made Victoria suffer."</p> <p>Loos also argued that the docuseries had thrust the affair back into the spotlight, an issue that many had forgotten about since the news first broke 20 years ago, thereby further impacting her reputation. She emphasised, "Yes, the stories were horrible, but they're true. He talks in the documentary about this ultimately being his private life, shutting it down. I think it's one thing to keep your private life to yourself. It's another thing to mislead the public."</p> <p>She suggested that David could have chosen to acknowledge that it was not one of his proudest moments or characterised it as a challenging period and moved on from the subject. However, she felt that he continued to phrase his statements in a way that indirectly shifted the blame onto her.</p> <p>"If you don't want to take responsibility for things because of your family and your children, that's absolutely fine," Loos commented, "But he specifically made it look like… my fault, that he had nothing to do with this."</p> <p>Loos, after the 2003 allegations, embarked on a path as a media personality, participating in various English and Dutch TV shows. In 2008, while filming the Dutch TV show <em>71 Graden Noord</em>, she crossed paths with her future husband, Norwegian doctor Sven Christjar Skaiaa. After becoming pregnant, the couple decided to relocate to Norway in 2009. Today, she works as a yoga teacher and a massage therapist in Norway while raising her two sons and only occasionally making media appearances.</p> <p><em>Images: Instagram</em></p>

TV

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The ominous warning sign greeting travellers in loos

<p>With 5 million international visitors last year, the South African coastal city of Cape Town is one of the most popular locations in the world. But it’s also got a big problem.</p> <p>Visitors touching down one of the world’s most multicultural cities have been greeted with sings ranging from warnings like, “Don’t waste a drop!” to desperate pleas for help like, “Our taps will run dry if we don’t act now”.</p> <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"> <p dir="ltr">There's a water crisis in Cape Town. Travelers should be prepared (and can help). <a href="https://t.co/dd7QDlSpaQ">https://t.co/dd7QDlSpaQ</a> <a href="https://t.co/HxjMgXfmx0">pic.twitter.com/HxjMgXfmx0</a></p> — The New York Times (@nytimes) <a href="https://twitter.com/nytimes/status/946385322891497474?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 28, 2017</a></blockquote> <p>Cape Town is enduring a severe water crisis after three years of poor rains. Water levels in the city’s reservoirs are at 33 per cent and there are real warnings that without any action, a day where the taps will run dry is looming.</p> <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"> <p dir="ltr">Dear Visitors to Cape Town! Please help us and <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/savewater?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#savewater</a> as we are experiencing water crisis... use less than <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/87litres?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#87litres</a> per day. Speak to our staff about water saving measures at <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/oonkloof?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#oonkloof</a>. <a href="https://t.co/gyImscF7bz">pic.twitter.com/gyImscF7bz</a></p> — O on Kloof Hotel&amp;Spa (@OonKloofHotel) <a href="https://twitter.com/OonKloofHotel/status/944126689759592448?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 22, 2017</a></blockquote> <p>Bob Scholes, a professor of systems ecology at the University of Witwatersrand in Johannesburg, explained the very real threat in an interview with Bloomberg.</p> <p>“Running out of water in places that have a highly developed water infrastructure is not that common,” he said.</p> <p>“I know of no example of a city the size of Cape Town running out of water. It would be quite catastrophic.”</p> <p>Taps are turned off once dam levels drop below 13.5 per cent, which would prompt a situation where residents would have to line up at checkpoints around the city to collect daily water rations. Some experts say that day could come as early as April 29.</p> <p>Tourists have been asked to do everything they can to conserve water.</p> <p>“We have to change our relationship with water,” Cape Town Mayor Patricia de Lille told Bloomberg.”</p> <p>“We have to plan for being permanently in a drought-stricken area.”</p> <p>What are your thoughts?</p> <p><em>Hero image credit: Twitter / New York Times</em></p> <p><a href="http://www.oversixty.com.au/travel/travel-insurance/?utm_source=over60&amp;utm_campaign=travel-insurance&amp;utm_medium=in-article-banner&amp;utm_content=travel-insurance" target="_blank"><img src="http://media.oversixty.com.au/images/banners/Travel-Insurance_Website_GIF_468x602.gif" alt="Over60 Travel Insurance"/></a></p>

International Travel

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Why you have to stop taking your mobile phone to the loo

<p>We’ve all done it – scrolled through our phones while on the loo. Otherwise it’s just time you’re not getting back!</p> <p>But you might want to put the phone down or at least give it a good clean. It could be making you sick. </p> <p>“People think the toilet bowl and the floor are the dirtiest places around the house,” microbiologist Professor Sally Bloomfield of the International Scientific Forum on Home Hygiene told The Sun. “While that might be true, hopefully we’re not touching these with our hands.”</p> <p>She added: “Instead, think about the places that harbour germs that we regularly come into contact with before we handle food or touch our mouth, eyes, nose and face.</p> <p>“The flu virus dies off within a minute of being outside a person, but norovirus can survive for hours, days and even weeks on a dry surface.”</p> <p>Phones are particularly dangerous because we carry them everywhere, touch them multiple times a day, have them with us when we eat, and take them to the toilet with us.</p> <p>“Touching your phone between using the toilet and washing your hands is a very bad idea,” says Dr Paul Matewele, microbiologist at London Metropolitan University.</p> <p>“Toilet seats, handles, sinks and taps are covered in germs such as E. coli, which can cause urinary tract infections and intestinal illness, C. diff which can result in diarrhoea, and acinetobacter which can cause a contagious respiratory infection.”</p> <p>So it might be best to avoid bringing your phone to the toilet or if you can’t, at the very least wash your hands thoroughly and then give your phone a clean with an antibacterial wipe. </p>

Technology

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Do you always wash your hands after the loo?

<p>Washing your hands after going to the toilet is one of the first rules that is drilled into people at a young age. </p> <p>However, a mum has sparked a debate online after admitting that she doesn't always follow this universal rule. </p> <p>“I know this is going to make some people furious, but does everyone, honestly always wash their hands after going to the loo? I definitely don't after a wee,” the woman shared on <span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong><a href="https://www.mumsnet.com/Talk/am_i_being_unreasonable/3039795-AIBU-to-ask-about-your-hand-washing-habits?pg=1" target="_blank">Mumsnet</a></strong></span>.</p> <p>The mum even confessed that sometimes she even loiters in other people's bathrooms so they think she's washing her hands. </p> <p>According to her post, women only wash their hands not because of hygiene but due to the fear of "public shame". </p> <p>Her post resulted in many people sharing their opinions on the matter with a large number saying it was very unhygienic of her not to wash her hands. </p> <p>“Why don't you? It's absolutely disgusting not to,” one person wrote.</p> <p>Some users pointed out that she might as well wash her hands if she spends time loitering in the bathroom. </p> <p>“Can I ask why you don't wash your hands? I mean, if you're loitering anyway, why not do it? I wash my hands every single time, without exception,” one person responded.</p> <p>Surprisingly, some people admitted to not washing their hands after doing a number one in their own homes. </p> <p>“I guess at home I know my bathroom is clean, so I don't see the need really to wash my hands after a wee. I'll wash them before making food obviously but if I'm just going back to my normal business I don't bother,” one person admitted.</p> <p>According to a British study from the Queen Mary, University of London (QMUL) and the London School of Hygiene &amp; Tropical Medicine (LSHTM), many who claim to always wash their hands are actually not telling the truth. </p> <p>"People may claim they wash their hands regularly but the science shows otherwise," says QMUL's Dr Ron Cutler.</p> <p>The study interviewed people at motorway service station toilets and 99 per cent of interviewees claimed they had washed their hands. </p> <p>However, electronic reading devices found that only 32 per cent of men and 64 per cent of women washed their hands. </p> <p>Do you always wash your hands after going to the toilet? Share your opinion on the matter in the comments below. </p>

Body

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Thoughts we’ve all had while waiting in line for the loo

<p><em><strong>Jacqueline Steyn, 72, finds comfort in expressing herself in stories and poetry. It was not until she reached her seniors year, where age and lived experience gave her the confidence and courage, that she began to showcase her writing.</strong></em> </p> <p align="center"><span style="text-decoration: underline;">The Lady in Waiting</span></p> <p align="center">Have you ever gone to a public loo?</p> <p align="center">And had to stand at the end of a queue</p> <p align="center">Have you counted heads to pass the time?</p> <p align="center">Only to find you’re eighth in line</p> <p align="center">Counted four cubicles, one’s out of order</p> <p align="center">Have you dreaded the sound of running water?</p> <p align="center">Have you seen a woman come out in a blush?</p> <p align="center">When embarrassed she said, “The cistern won’t flush.”</p> <p align="center">Only two working loo’s now and you’re still in line</p> <p align="center">You cross your legs and curse the wine</p> <p align="center">Have you practised pelvic floor exercises?</p> <p align="center">And hoped and prayed there are no surprises</p> <p align="center">Please let there be no unexpected leak</p> <p align="center">After having babies the bladder is weak</p> <p align="center">Ever so slowly the queue’s getting shorter</p> <p align="center">That dreaded sound of running water</p> <p align="center">In rushes a pregnant woman with a toddler in tow</p> <p align="center">“It’s urgent please I really must go!”</p> <p align="center">She let out a scream before she spoke</p> <p align="center">Behind the door her waters broke</p> <p align="center">Next enters the cleaner with her mop and her broom</p> <p align="center">She orders you out whilst she cleans the room</p> <p align="center">Have you ever rushed to the Gentlemen’s loo?</p> <p align="center">If you were as desperate what would you do?</p> <p><em><strong>If you have a story to share please get in touch at <a href="mailto:melody@oversity.com.au">melody@oversity.com.au</a></strong></em></p> <p><strong>Related links:</strong></p> <p><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><em><strong><a href="http://www.oversixty.com.au/health/mind/2016/09/jacqueline-steyn-poem-on-getting-older/">A 72-year-old’s moving poem on getting older</a></strong></em></span></p> <p><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><em><strong><a href="http://www.oversixty.com.au/health/caring/2016/06/poem-highlights-the-beauty-of-ageing/">Poem highlights the beauty of ageing</a></strong></em></span></p> <p><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><em><strong><a href="http://www.oversixty.com.au/health/caring/2016/03/wifes-touching-poem-for-sick-husband/">A wife’s touching poem for sick husband</a></strong></em></span></p>

Art