You might expect a celebrity's experience of LA to involve a conveyor belt of glamorous events. And while Brooklyn Beckham and his wife Nicola are used to being on all the hottest guest lists, they are, at heart, homebodies through and through - who enjoy hunkering down on the sofa with Love Island and Gilmore Girls like the rest of us: ‘Our favourite thing is to stay in, watch a movie, have a drink, put our pyjamas on and hang out, just us,' he says. 'We are definitely a stay-in couple because we have five dogs – my wife runs a rescue. They’re literally our life. We have our own little bubble out here with our dogs and our little place. We’re just really happy.’
Aspiring chef Brooklyn – who is launching a pop-up restaurant with Uber Eats - and actress Nicola said ‘I do’ in April 2022 at her family’s Floridian estate, and have since set up home in LA. How has London-born Brooklyn found the transition to LA life?
‘Adapting to life over here is pretty easy. I used to live here for six years growing up when I was about 11 or 12. I really know my way around,' he says. 'I think for the minute, we’re going to stay out here for a while, as both our work is here, and the weather is pretty nice.’
After some quintessential British contemplation about the weather, he adds, ‘To be honest, it’s actually a little bit too hot for me. It’s the only thing me and my wife argue about - the temperature. She likes it really warm and I like it really cold.’
There are no two-year anniversary plans set in stone yet, but he's already thinking of ideas. ‘We’re both so busy with work. We definitely have some travelling coming up. Wherever we are and whatever we’re doing, I always try and make it really special for us. I make such a big deal on all of our anniversaries. If we’re in LA, Napa’s really close to us. It’s one of my favourite places to go. Maybe we’ll go there, or maybe I’ll decorate the whole apartment and make it really comfy for a movie night or something.’
It’s no secret that the couple pride themselves on being family-orientated, with Brooklyn explaining he tries to see his loved ones – dad David, mum Victoria and siblings Romeo, Cruz and Harper – as often as he can manage.
Paying homage to his dad’s presidency and co-ownership of MLS side Inter Miami CF, Brooklyn says, ‘Me and my family are really close, and my wife and her family are really close. Mine are in between London and Miami, which is really good. Thank god for the football team, so I get to see them as much as I can. We travel over to London sometimes, they come out here [to LA] and we sometimes meet in Miami.’
The Beckham clan often give their global fanbase glimpses into their everyday lives via Instagram, but what does a typical get-together with all the family look like?
‘I’ll talk about what we do on Sundays,’ Brooklyn says, setting the scene. ‘We love Sunday roasts. Me and my dad share a bottle of wine. My mum and Nicola share vodka Snapple. We don’t really watch TV - we just talk and just have fun. It’s just about being in the moment, having a drink, eating food and enjoying each other’s company.’
He continues, ‘We sometimes play games. My wife introduced my family to this game called Fish Bowl [a memory game that combines Charades, Password, and Taboo], which we love to play at gatherings. My mum and dad really like it, we played it a couple of weeks ago when we were together.’
Brooklyn might not have inherited his culinary passions from Victoria – ‘my mum doesn’t cook, and my wife doesn’t cook’, he says – but someone who holds the potential to give him a run for his money is fellow foodie, David.
‘We’re the only ones who cook,’ he says. ‘It’s not really competitive, but we give each other a bit of stick. It’s what having a dad is all about!’
For Brooklyn’s latest project, he has teamed up with Uber Eats to launch his ultimate takeaway menu, based on a selection of his favourite comfort food dishes, including an English Breakfast Sandwich, which he used to make with his nanny Peggy, and a Chicken Tikka Masala.
But he’s got a special soft spot for his 12-hour Wagyu Bolognese.
‘It’s something that I always cook for my wife on date night, and it was one of the first dishes that I cooked when my dad played for AC Milan,’ he explains. ‘I took a pasta-making lesson there, and ever since then, I’ve been obsessed with making it.’
In the past, Brooklyn's cooking content has garnered some unpleasant comments from trolls on social media. And he acknowledges he's had to develop a thick skin.
‘It’s obviously not nice when people say rubbish, but I’ve learned to not let it get to me. I’m used to it now. I’m going to prove all of them wrong in April, just watch,’ he says, referring to an undisclosed passion project which has been in the works for two and a half years. When pressed on whether it is culinary-related, Brooklyn remains tight-lipped.
In terms of what he’s learned under the glare of the spotlight, he adds, ‘Probably just keeping your head down. Being humble. Just doing what makes you happy. And obviously work ethic – even if you don’t succeed the first time, just keep doing it. I get a bit of rubbish because I didn’t know what I was doing up until this point. I didn’t know I was ever going to go into entrepreneurial, business-type stuff. You can be any age and don’t know what you’re doing. But just do what makes you happy.’
The goals for Brooklyn this year are clear and simple. Working hard, supporting Nicola ahead of her directorial debut film release, Lola, and preparing for the launch of his upcoming project in April.
‘It’s a big year for us, which we’re really excited about,’ he says.
Brooklyn’s restaurant is the latest installment of Uber Eats Hosts, a series that brings hard-to-access restaurants and unique food experiences exclusively to Uber Eats customers. The exclusive 5-dish menu will be available to Uber Eats customers located in London on 25th and 26th January between 5-10pm, priced from £10. Uber One users will be able to access the menu exclusively on 25th January.
Millie Payne is a News and Entertainment Writer for Grazia. She has specialised in showbiz interviews, features, articles and roundups for over three years and loves combining her love for writing, talking and all things popular culture.