'They were so relieved when it ended': Why Posh isn't the first famous mother Nicola has fallen foul of... as insiders tell KATIE HIND how she's now got everything she wanted - and reveal extraordinary allegation Peltzes made about Beckhams

It’s the smile that says ‘I’ve won’. Brooklyn Peltz-Beckham and his beaming wife Nicola broke cover yesterday in their first public sighting since Brooklyn posted his bombshell six-page Instagram statement about his family on Monday night.

Despite the toxic family rift dominating headlines in recent days, Nicola looked particularly relaxed – clutching a cup of coffee as she nuzzled into Brooklyn’s shoulder during a Malibu beach walk with their rescue dog, Lamb.

She was dressed immaculately in a cream knitted poncho, flared jeans and ballet pumps, and the snaps had the hallmark of a staged photo opportunity.

Nicola has every reason to be smiling. Yes, torrid accusations have been levelled at her and her husband in recent days after Brooklyn’s brutal outburst – in which he accused his parents Victoria and David Beckham of controlling him throughout his childhood, revealed that his mother called him ‘evil’ in the run-up to his wedding in April 2022 and claimed that she hijacked his first dance.

But, according to many who know her, Nicola has always wanted a life in the limelight – and now she has finally got it.

Though she’s the youngest daughter of a billionaire fast-food tycoon, Nelson Peltz, Nicola has always lamented that her surname isn’t better known, say those close to her.

A showbusiness source tells me: ‘With Nicola, it’s all about the name. The name is the aim of the game – it’s a commodity. Of course, she comes from an exceptionally wealthy family.

‘While they might be richer than the Beckhams, the Peltz name doesn’t open doors in the same way. You have to ask whether the public would even know who Nicola is if she hadn’t met Brooklyn.’

This is not the first time that such accusations have been levelled at Nicola. Yesterday, the older sister of Nicola’s ex-boyfriend Anwar Hadid, sensationally waded into the feud. Alana – whose sisters are catwalk superstars Gigi and Bella – insisted that Nicola has ‘wanted to be famous for years’.

In a comment on Instagram, she wrote: ‘That girl doesn’t want privacy – she’s been trying to be famous for a decade.’

Since Anwar and Nicola split in 2018, I’ve heard from sources close to the Hadids that the family were left furious at the way Nicola treated him.

Even when the pair started dating in 2016, there were more than a few raised eyebrows.Nicola had just left her parents’ £76 million Florida mansion to try her luck in Hollywood, which is where she met Bella and Gigi – who, it is thought, introduced her to Anwar.

Then a 17-year-old underwear model, nepo baby Anwar was four years younger than his new girlfriend and nowhere near as ambitious. Despite this, budding actress Nicola, who by all accounts was rather pleased that she had bagged herself a member of the famous Hadid dynasty, wasted no time in ingratiating herself with her beau’s mother, Yolanda.

The carefully orchestrated Instagram posts came thick and fast. Nicola wanted the world to know that she and Yolanda, a household name thanks to her role in reality series The Real Housewives Of Beverly Hills, were ‘besties’.

Nicola, then filming the pilot for a minor television thriller called When The Streetlights Go On for the US network Hulu, was thrilled to be rubbing shoulders with such a celebrity. As a family brand, you can’t get much bigger than the Hadids.

It wasn’t long until the pouting heiress was posing on the red carpet alongside the Hadid sisters, who at the time were the most in-demand catwalk stars in the world.

In one interview, Nicola said of Anwar: ‘Honestly, he is an angel. He’s such an amazing person. He comes from such an amazing family. Gigi and Bella are so, so sweet. I just love his family so much. They’re feminine, strong girls. To have that around is amazing.’

Yet, barely a year later, Anwar and Nicola split and she swiftly ‘unfollowed’ the Hadid clan en masse on Instagram.

I’m told that Bella and Gigi grew to ‘dislike’ Nicola – and for telling reasons. Sources tell me that they thought that Nicola could be ‘controlling’. And Yolanda reportedly tried to stage an ‘intervention’ to make him ‘see sense’.

‘Anwar’s mother and sisters were worried he was becoming increasingly unhappy in his relationship and they were keen for him to get out of it quickly,’ says a source close to the Hadids. ‘The age difference bothered them, and so did Nicola’s strong personality. It had started so well but they later began to no longer think the relationship was the best idea for Anwar.

‘That led to some conversations between Anwar and the family. They feared he was struggling, going out with a woman who was older than him at such a formative time in his life. Strong words were had; Yolanda was so relieved when it all finished. Poor Anwar was somewhat discombobulated by the whole relationship.’

When Alana’s comments emerged yesterday, friends of the Beckhams began pointing out the stark similarities to her relationship with Brooklyn.

Not only is there again a significant age gap between Nicola and nepo baby Brooklyn, five years her junior, but it has been reported that the Beckhams have similarly described her as ‘controlling’.

And, Beckham allies say the only thing bringing Victoria any solace in the wake of her estrangement from her oldest son is that Yolanda suffered a similarly painful experience.

‘It isn’t just Victoria here, the same happened with Yolanda,’ says the friend. Despite living on different sides of the Atlantic, the Beckhams and Hadids share a further remarkable similarity that is relevant in this family fallout. Despite being wildly famous, the wealth and perceived class of both families pales in comparison with the Peltzes.’

It is this discrepancy that allegedly sparked the rift between the Beckhams and Peltzes in the first place. But the tragedy is that things had started so well.

In January 2021, when lockdown laws were lifted, the Beckham gang jumped on a private jet to Florida to meet the Peltzes for the first time at their mansion in Palm Beach. At the time, insiders told me that the trip was a source of great excitement. Family is central to Victoria and David’s lives, and having good relations with their in-laws was important. The meeting went well. So well, in fact, that three months later, at Easter, Nicola and her mother Claudia, 70, sent Victoria an extravagant hamper containing £500 worth of gifts.

Inside was a Chanel hand cream, a Dior mascara and even a moisturiser from Victoria’s own beauty brand. The presents didn’t stop there. There were Apple AirPods and chocolate galore – all of which came delivered with a handwritten note.

Victoria showed off her haul on Instagram, telling her followers, ‘OK, so I have just received the most amazing Easter basket from the Peltzes – check out what is in this amazing Easter basket.’

However, the goodwill didn’t last for long. The self-made Nelson, who once controlled a huge stake in Disney and is a close friend of US President Donald Trump, is said to take an ‘increasingly dim view’ of his British in-laws. The Peltzes reportedly see the Beckhams as ‘tacky’ and sneer at Victoria’s past as a Spice Girl.

A friend says: ‘While both families are super-rich, Nelson sees himself as statesman-like, while the Beckhams are much more “new money”.

‘This has led to much snobbery on the Peltz side. They think they are way above the Beckhams when it comes to class and wealth.

‘And that was illustrated at the wedding. There was so much embarrassment about Victoria dancing. Any other family would have thought that was rather fabulous! Imagine a Spice Girl on the dancefloor at your daughter’s wedding: it would have been fun, but the Peltzes thought it was ghastly.’

In turn, Posh and Becks reportedly think that the Peltzes are ‘pretty horrid’. They are no fans of Nelson – and even less so of his wife Claudia.

Their differences were sealed at Brooklyn and Nicola’s wedding, when the Beckhams felt Nelson controlled the day (he employed armed security for the occasion and confiscated guests’ phones).

The Beckhams and Peltzes have also clashed over money after Nelson and Claudia are said to have picked up the majority of the cost of Brooklyn and Nicola’s wedding, which has prompted accusations from Team Peltz that David and Victoria are ‘tight’.

However, friends say that they ‘merely know the value of money’ and have attempted to instil this into their children.

‘Many forget that Brooklyn’s first job was in a French café earning not much more than £2 an hour,’ muses a friend. ‘You wouldn’t see a Peltz doing that,’ says one.

‘It has all been very hurtful for David and Victoria, who are very proud of what their hard work and graft has achieved for them and their family.’

And as Nicola cosies up to their estranged son in those remarkable new pictures, that hurt seems hardly likely to fade.