David Beckham’s new four-part Netflix docuseries ‘Beckham‘ has once again brought his scandal from nearly two decades back to the limelight again.

In 2004, David and Victoria Beckham found themselves thrust into the spotlight due to allegations of an extramarital affair, as their former personal assistant, Rebecca Loos, claimed that she had engaged in a four-month romantic relationship with the soccer star.

The scandal started when David Beckham relocated to Madrid to join Real Madrid in the summer of 2003. Just a few months later, in September, he was seen on a night out with an unidentified brunette (later identified as Rebecca Loos) in Madrid, as reported by The Guardian.

Loos later went on to claim that their involvement had extended to a four-month affair, creating a major celebrity scandal that dominated headlines. Other women later came forward with their own allegations, all of which Beckham has denied and called “completely and totally untrue”.

Thankfully, the couple have weathered the storm and celebrated their 24th wedding anniversary this July (2023).

In 2020, Taiwanese star Show Lo found himself in hot water after his ex-girlfriend of nine years, Chinese influencer Grace Chow, took to social media platform Weibo to expose his philandering ways. In an explosive post, the then-31-year-old shared that she had broken up with Lo after he cheated on her many times.

Chow labelled him a chronic womaniser and accused him of engaging in “multi-player sports sessions — things that normal people cannot even begin to imagine”.

Additionally, Lo allegedly kept another mobile phone that was used to contact other women. He was accused of inviting women to the home the two share when Chow was not around, inviting women to his hotel during his travels, and having improper relationships with female artistes in his management agency.

Following the reveal, Show Lo posted a public apology on his Instagram page. He wrote, “Regarding the matter of my relationship, I would like to extend a solemn apology to Ms Grace Chow. I’m sorry, I was wrong.” He added, “I did make a lot of mistakes, and I also want to apologise to all women who have been deceived and disrespected by me. I’m sorry, I will bear all the consequences.”

As expected, Show faced swift repercussions as both showrunners and advertisers distanced themselves from him in the aftermath of the scandal. Consequently, he took a two-year break from the public eye, but has recently made a return.

A fuzzy camera footage taken in a cab was all it took to unravel a decades-long romance. Hearts all over broke into pieces when Hong Kong singer Andy Hui was caught red-handed cheating on superstar wife Sammi Cheng with former TVB actress Jacqueline Wong. The pair, who directed the driver to head to Jacqueline’s home, were seen on a dashcam video holding hands, touching and kissing at the back of a taxi.

Andy and Sammi’s epic romance had been dubbed as a fairy-tale. Spanning almost three decades, it was an affair that was held up as an example of enduring love. They dated from 1991 to 2004, split, reconciled in 2011 and finally got hitched in 2014.

After the jaw-dropping news broke, Andy held a press conference on the evening of April 16, sobbing as he apologised for his “mistake”. Bowing and keeping his eyes down, he apologised to Sammi, his family, Sammi’s family, friends and people who love him for doing “something that cannot be forgiven”. Explaining he had a lot to drink that night, he added that it wasn’t an excuse for doing something so wrong. “I find it hard to face myself and accept myself.”

He said he’ll be stepping back from his work commitments until he finds his “real and right self”.

Meanwhile, Sammi broke her silence by releasing a statement on her Instagram account.

View this post on Instagram

這次 ,是我們婚姻中共同重要的一課。這段期間, 我們共同經歷情緒起伏, 我們也就事件詳談很久很深 . 這是夫妻二人之間的一課, 也是往後婚姻路上學習到的一課. 我們在婚姻中走進更深處, 婚姻當中除了彼此給予的幸福溫暖, 當中也深深包含了彼此的錯誤和彼此的原諒. 人誰無過是老生常談,但事實確是如此啊。 在這次中, 重要的, 是更進一步身歷婚姻其中真諦. 幸福不只是一埸埸順利美滿,當中也有試煉, 也一起去經歷高低狀況,讓夫妻之間的感情厚度帶領著前行, 更要彼此走進對方的內心, 一起正視各自的軟弱, 不放棄自己, 不放棄對方,互相糾正, 互相提點, 在婚姻歴煉中, 我深信經歷和教訓一定會幫助重回正軌, 生命更會更生. 這期間在我們彼此都最難捱的時刻, 握著手一起祈禱, 對我們的幫助極大. 今天, 肩上的重擔彷彿輕了很多. 只願一切快平息, 回歸平靜. 最後摯誠請求各大傳媒不要再等候和追訪我年紀老邁行動不便的父母. 沒有更多想表達了,今天以後,就只向前看, 在時間的見證中,繼續一步步前行. ❤️

A post shared by Sammi Cheng Sau Man (@sammi_chengsauman) on Apr 18, 2019 at 1:28am PDT

Her post takes a leaf out of the Bible. Here’s an English translation of her accompanying caption:

This time, it is an important lesson in our marriage. During this period, we mutually experienced emotional ups and downs together, and we also talked about the event in depth for a long time. This is a lesson between husband and wife, and a lesson to be learnt in future in our marriage. As we walked deeper into the marriage, besides the happiness and warmth we give to each other, we also need to encompass mistakes and forgiveness. Who has never sinned. It is a common saying but it is true.

This time, the important thing is learning to further understand the true meaning of marriage. Happiness is not always smooth sailing, there are trials, and we also go through the highs and lows, and this deepens the relationship between the couple. Walk into each other’s heart, face up to each other’s weaknesses, don’t give up on yourself, don’t give up on the other person, correct each other, and raise each other up. In the course of a marriage, I am convinced that experiences and lessons will definitely help each other to get back on track, and life will be renewed.

During this difficult period for the both of us, it helped us a lot when we held hands and prayed together. Today, the burden on the shoulders seems to be a lot lighter. I hope that everything will calm down and return to peace. Finally, I sincerely ask the media not to follow and interview my aged parents and inconvenience them. I don’t have anymore to say. After today, I will only look forward. As time will tell, I will continue to move forward step by step.

The couple have since moved past it and remain together.

Closer to home, local actor and director Jack Neo was also embroiled in an extramarital scandal in 2010.

Then, freelance model Wendy Chong disclosed to Lianhe Wanbao that she had been in a two-year-long affair with Jack Neo. At that time, Wendy was 22 years old, while Jack was 50 years old.

Subsequently, Jack Neo organised a press conference during which he openly admitted to his wrongdoing and appealed for understanding. His wife, Irene Kng, also attended the press conference and publicly forgave Jack, affirming her decision to stand by him. The emotional intensity of the moment was palpable as Irene collapsed after her statement, and had to be helped off the stage.

Over a decade later, the couple seems to be going strong – they celebrate 33 years of marriage this year, and welcomed their second grandson a few months ago.

It seems old habits die hard – Khloe Kardashian’s basketballer boyfriend was caught being unfaithful several times, including with with Khloe’s sister Kylie Jenner’s then best friend Jordyn Woods after reports emerged that Tristan had been “making out” and getting “lap dances” from Jordyn at a party. Kylie subsequently dumped her best friend (and made her move out of her house, might we add) in an act of support to her sister.

Jordyn, whose family has been close to Will Smith since she was a little girl, then went on Jada Pinkett Smith’s Red Table Talk show on Facebook to clarify her side of the story, denying allegations of sexual activities with Tristan on the night of the party. Her actions sparked a rebuttal from Khloe, who blasted Jordyn on Twitter for lying and criticising her for not calling her privately to apologise. She added: “BTW, you are the reason my family broke up!”

Netizens however, were quick to call out Khloe, stating that Jordyn shouldn’t be blamed for Tristan’s known pattern of straying (he apparently cheated on her when she was nine months pregnant) and that her actions are enabling him to repeat his reckless behaviour.

She later retracted her statement, saying “What’s been harder and more painful is being hurt by someone so close to me. Someone whom I love and treat like a little sister. But Jordyn is not to be blamed for the breakup of my family. This was Tristan’s fault.” The pair finally split in February this year and briefly came together to celebrate their daughter True’s one-year-old birthday. This is a convoluted mess but we’re sure that Khloe is better off now without him.

A day after Amazon head honcho Jeff Bezos and his novelist wife Mackenzie announced that they were ending their 25 years of marriage after “a long period of loving exploration and trial separation”, Jeff’s affair with a pilot and former news anchor Lauren Sanchez was exposed by the National Enquirer in its issue that hit the stands on January 10. Lauren’s brother Michael Sanchez is allegedly the source behind the leaking of intimate texts and nude photos of the couple to the magazine, with reports saying he was paid for providing the material.

The bombshell exposé was apparently the result of a four-month-long investigation into the affair between Jeff, 55, and Lauren, 49. Reporters reportedly tracked the couple “across five states and 40,000 miles, tailed them in private jets, swanky limos, helicopter rides, romantic hikes, five-star hotel hideaways, intimate dinner dates and ‘quality time’ in hidden love nests”.

The saga took a dramatic turn when in an extraordinary move, Jeff published a blog post on Medium saying the publishers of the National Enquirer, American Media Inc. (AMI), tried to extort him by threatening to publish explicit selfies between him and Lauren. That is, unless Jeff halts his investigation into the leaks and makes a public statement disavowing the idea that the investigation was politically motivated, said his post. “Rather than capitulate to extortion and blackmail, I’ve decided to publish exactly what they sent me, despite the personal cost and embarrassment they threaten,” he wrote.

Jeff, who is one of the richest people in the world, has four children with MacKenzie. They announced in April 2019 that they had finalised their divorce agreement. She reportedly parted ways with Bezos with a whopping $38.3 billion in Amazon stock.

While they looked happy from the outside, British actor Colin Firth’s wife has admitted an affair with an Italian journalist she has accused of stalking her. The pair separated quietly in 2015 and 2016 when the affair took place but have since reconciled.

While the couple never admitted to having an affair, Brad Pitt stated that he “fell in love” with Angelina Jolie while filming Mr. and Mrs. Smith. The dashing actor was still married to Jennifer Aniston at the time. They divorced shortly after and Brad moved on and eventually married Angie.

However, the two later also went their separate ways with a messy split in 2016, and to date, are still engaged in a custody battle. They share six kids: twins Knox and Vivienne, Pax, Shiloh, Zahara and Maddox.

The actor and former governor has been married to Maria Shriver for over 25 years but during that time he also fathered a son with the couple’s maid, Mildred Baena. The son reportedly looked so much like his father that Shriver was suspicious and asked the housekeeper point blank if he was Arnold’s son.

The pair went their separate ways in 2011 after the scandal.

In 2016, Wang Baoqiang’s divorce from his wife, over her alleged extramarital affair, had social media buzzing, with posts about the subject gaining over five billion views. He alleged that his marriage broke down after his wife had an affair with his agent. Scandalous!

After a 12-year marriage, Gwen and Gavin split in 2016 after he was caught having an affair with the nanny. The nanny was promptly fired, and it didn’t take long for the couple, who share three children, to get a divorce. Gwen then moved on with country music star, Blake Shelton, whom she met on The Voice. They got engaged in 2020, and walked down the aisle the following year.

The actor was with actress Elizabeth Hurley when he was caught and arrested for having sex in a car with a sex worker in 1995. The couple tried to make it work, but eventually broke up in 2000. They have, however, remained good friends till this day.

Theirs was a romance straight out of the books but Kristen ended up breaking Robert’s heart when she was photographed kissing her Snow White and the Huntsman director, Rupert Sanders.

Though she issued a public apology for the “momentary indiscretion” that “jeopardised the most important thing” in her life at the time — her relationship with Pattinson — the actress and her beau broke up soon after.

Jesse James and Sandra Bullock were still married when multiple women came forward in 2010 saying they had had affairs with Jesse. There was reportedly at least four women who he cheated on the Oscar-winning actress with. They divorced a year after the allegations surfaced.

Prince Charles and Princess Diana’s tumultuous marriage was marred by allegations of infidelity. According to Prince Charles’ official biographer, he started an affair with Camilla Parker Bowles in 1986, just five years into his marriage to Princess Diana.

Charles and Diana officially separated in 1992, eventually leading to their divorce in 1996. Prince Charles and Camilla eventually married each other in 2005.

Photo: TPG News

This post was published on 17 April 2019, and updated on Oct 10, 2023.