Victoria Beckham is a woman who provokes strong opinions. Many view her as a positive role model and glamorous style icon, who's an adoring wife to England football captain, David Beckham and caring mother of their two-year-old son, Brooklyn. Others view her as a publicity-hungry diva, who spends her days trawling the designer Bond Street stores and going to any lengths to publicise her solo pop career. However, the real Victoria Beckham is far removed from the larger-than-life caricature portrayed by the press. In sharp contrast to the image of a sulky-faced singer whose picture has graced many a front page, the 26-year old singer is both charming and warm-hearted. But, while Victoria is the first to admit that she has been blessed with wealth and happiness - and, most importantly, that she is loved by one of the most lusted-after men in Britain - the star remains unashamedly ambitious and is committed to establishing herself as a solo performer. As she munched on a breakfast of Marmite on toast, the charismatic singer spoke to OK! with refreshing honestly about her hopes for her singing career. She also talked about how she and David spend their time behind closed doors at 'Beckingham Palace', revealed the truth about the rumoured bust-up with Melanie B and admitted that she would find it "cool" to be called Lady Victoria Beckham…

Victoria, the ballad-liked style of your latest single, A Mind Of Its Own, seems far removed from the dance track Not Such An Innocent Girl. Which style of music do you feel the most comfortable performing?
I was a dancer before I was a singer so Not Such An Innocent Girl was a great starting point for me. I really wanted to make a statement with my first single, so the image had to be very strong, which is why we chose the good and the bad girl look. For A Mind Of Its Own I took a leaf out of Elton John's book. He advised me that I should go back to basics, as that's what he did with his last album. This song is the real me, you can really hear my voice in this. It's very heartfelt and soulful and there's a lot more emotion because I wrote the song myself. The tune's very catchy and the great thing is that, as it's quite slow-moving, I've had more opportunity to perform live - which will help put all those rumours to bed about whether I can or can't sing. I've got a new manager who's put together a band and it's been amazing working with them. The video for the new single is very simple. I'm wearing jeans and a jumper and look natural without loads of make-up on - I'm being myself rather than trying to be someone else.

Your last single did well but failed to reach the number one spot. Are you hoping that A Mind Of It's Own will be the one to launch you as a fully established solo performer?
I'd love to think that it would but, realistically, I don't know. My autobiography [Learning To Fly] sold amazing amounts because people are very interested in me as a celebrity and want to know details such as what I wear, how much I weigh and what style my hair is in. However, people don't know enough about my music, so I'm hoping this single will change that. I'm being realistic, though, because lots of people seem to be unaware of the fact that I make music and forget why I'm actually famous, so it might take a few singles before the public realise that.

So, despite what the press say, you wouldn't be too upset if the single didn't get to number one?
I'm so relaxed about the whole thing because all that matters is that I've done my best. I used to believe that I knew what people thought about me and that the public wouldn't take me seriously as a solo artist but if I work hard enough and make a good enough song, I can prove everybody wrong and shut my critics up. It's pretty sad when you have to come to terms with the fact that it's not enough. I've written a great album and the reviews have been very positive and if that's not enough then it's just the way things are.

But you would have thought that being in the Spice Girls - who were one of the most popular girl bands of all time- would have been a great stepping stone to a solo career…
Yes, you would assume that would be a huge help and a major lift up the ladder, when in actual fact it's the opposite. When everything we touched as group turned to gold, it seemed that individually the same would happen. As with all the Spice Girls, nobody knows any of us enough for our solo music and it's been a bit of a struggle. I know I don't get the support I should because people think, oh it's her, she's got everything so we're going to make it tougher. People are constantly wanting me to prove myself - and I will do that. I'm confident that it will happen. A lot of people ask me how I feel about Kylie Minogue's success but it's taken her 20 years to get to where she is and she deserves that respect. Everybody has dips in their career, even Madonna.

Will you release the love song that you wrote especially for David, IOU?
Maybe but it's very heartfelt and personal. First, though, we just have to see what happens with this next single. I'm a lot more relaxed now. With …Innocent Girl I was very nervous because there was a lot of hype about whether I would get a number one and a lot of negativity surrounding me. Now I'm so relaxed but, at the end of the day, if you want to do well in the music industry it's not enough to just concentrate on the music. A lot rests on the public's perception of an artist and how catchy the tune is rather than the strength of the song. If you played any old single enough on the radio so it was drummed into people's minds then sales would go up. There are some amazing songs and fantastic songwriters that don't even get in the top ten and it's a shame. I've written a great song and I'm just going to sit back and see what happens. It might not happen with this song, it might not happen with the next song or the next album but I'm going to keep on going.

Is there anyone you'd like to duet with?
I would love to work with someone in the hip hop world such as Dr Dre - I love that kind of music - or even someone massive in the R&B world. I have collaborated with Robbie Craig on one of my singles called I Wish, which is one of my favourite tracks on the album. The track's been remixed so it's a bit more garagy and I'm hoping it will be the next single.

If your music career failed to be a success, are there other areas of the entertainment industry that you would like to explore - presenting perhaps?
I'd love to do more TV work at some point this year. I wouldn't want to be a presenter on a TV show or anything like that, but I'd like my own production label and do something like a series of Victoria's Secrets.

When you were performing with the Spice Girls you had each other to rely upon - what's been your most nerve-wracking moment so far as a solo artist?
It has to be my first live show just before Christmas at the NEC in Birmingham - there were 15,000 people in the audience and they had no idea I was going to be performing, so I felt quite anxious when I got up on stage with a 100-piece orchestra and my band. We decided to keep it quiet because the concert was going to be nerve-wracking enough for me, so I was listed under some false name. The reception I got was amazing and it made me want to cry. I sang IOU and A Mind Of Its Own completely live with my band and the orchestra. I was standing there on my own thinking how fabulous it was, especially because my parents and David had come to watch me. I want to concentrate more on performing live this year, though. I'm famous for making music and I can sing, but he important thing is not about wanting to prove myself to everybody, but to do it for me.

Are you planning a British tour?
I'd love to but the fans are the only ones who can decide that. There are still a lot of people who haven't heard my record who need to hear it. I think that once people start hearing more of my music there'll be a greater demand for me to tour.

In what way do you think you have matured as a performer since the Spice Girls?
I'm more confident with my voice. It used to be very easy to go onstage with the Spice Girls and not necessarily know what you were doing. Without spot-on choreography, I would get away with wearing high heels and wiggling about a bit, whereas now I'm a real perfectionist. It's difficult being a perfectionist in a group because you have to adapt to what everyone else wants and how much they're prepared to rehearse. I like everything to be perfect and I audition all my dancers myself and design all the costumes so it's a lot more personal. But the good thing with the Spice Girls was that you're less likely to take criticism personally.

You are renowned as a style icon and the public adore your unique look, which has undergone many transformations. But, like any trendsetter, there have been a few blunders - for instance, do you regret wearing that lip ring?
I am a real performer and, for me, the costumes and choreography are really important. As part of the bad girl costume I wore a lip ring and don't regret it at all. I thought it looked good and it was just part of a costume. If anyone else had worn it no one would have blinked - I mean, there are artists with no eye brows and their chins pierced who go around having affairs, getting drunk and sticking their fingers up and these are people who kids look up to. It was silly season and the press had nothing else to write about.

Although they have yet to officially announce their split, it seems to everyone that the Spice Girls will not make any more records. When is the band going to make their inevitable separation official?
Right now we are all doing our own thing and there are no plans in the future to do anything as a group but maybe at some point it would be good to do a greatest hits. There's been a lot of negativity surrounding anything associated with the Spice Girls, which is a shame because people are very quick to forget how much we achieved. What we did for the music industry was amazing - I mean, we sold 40 million albums. People find it very easy to forget that and laugh at us, which is a shame, but this will change - it has to because what we did was so fantastic and phenomenal. Maybe when our situation is more positive there will be a greatest hits album. We all spent so much time together that it has been good to have time to go off and do our own thing.

But if you decide not to collaborate in the near future don't you think you should officially announce that you have spit?
No, because we may do something in the future. If we announce that we'd spit then there'd only be lots of negative comments from people saying they don't care anyway. Whatever we do we can't win so we're just going to continue as things are and at some point we might want to do something.

What do you miss the most about those early days of Spice Girls world domination?
It was fantastic right at the start, we all knew what we wanted and we broke down barriers. The Spice Girls achieved so much and won loads of awards which was fantastic. We were constantly being told that we couldn't do this or that but we did whatever we wanted and it was a very, very exciting time. Everyone was jumping on the Spice bandwagon.

But is there one favourite memory for you?
It has to be right at the start when Wannabe was released. We really didn't expect it to do so well.

There have been stories insinuating that the Spice Girls are not as close as they used to be and, in particular, that you have fallen out with Melanie B…
I'm not really bothered about those stories because I've had to put up with this kind of speculation every day. There's always something in the press about us but I've got beyond the stage of wanting to set the record straight because I'd spend my life doing it. I don't read the papers any more and I don't care what's in them. Of course we're not as close as we once were but we were living and working together all the time. We do see each other and speak on the phone and I haven't fallen out with Melanie B, I don't know where that came from.

How often do you all catch up?
I spoke to Emma a couple of weeks ago and the four of us got together for drinks just before Christmas. The press will print what they want and if they want to make a big story about us not getting on then they will.

While the level of fame of the other Spice Girls has naturally diminished, you have managed to retain your popularity - with you and David remaining one of Britain's most photographed couples. Why do you think the public continue to be so interested in your lives?
Well, it's a mixture of me being in the Spice Girls and David playing for Manchester United and England. People seem to be really interested in the way we dress and what our hair styles are like and they're also interested in Brooklyn. Because I don't read the papers, I don't pay any attention to that side of things any more.

Because of your huge celebrity profile it must be difficult for you to do mundane chores, such as going down the local supermarket, without getting photographed. Has there ever been a point when you've wanted to disappear from public life?
Yes, because it can get upsetting so you just want to be anonymous. But we can take refuge at home. No one's been to our house because it's our private area, so we can really relax there. I'm lucky because I surround myself with lots of great people - I've got close friends and family who I can rely upon. But, I have to say, sometimes things can get too much. I've come to terms with the fact that people will say what they're going to say and I just have to stay true to myself.

What have been the worst aspects of your level of fame?
Photographers following me around all the time doesn't get to me as much as it used to but what is annoying is when the press generate stories and paint a picture of someone that is not me. Whenever I meet people the first thing they say is that I'm completely different to their perception of me. Well, actually, the first thing they say is that I'm really tiny [laughs]. Because people have such an extreme perception of me I sometimes feel that I'm banging my head against a brick wall. When we did Ali G and Parkinson people said that I came across well, and that's the real me, but I'm battling constantly against people's ideas of what I'm like. It makes it harder for me as an artist because people find it difficult to accept me for my music.

But your critics are quick to point out that you are overexposed because you court publicity…
Overexposure is something that I have to deal with. I know that I've had a certain amount of criticism because of the publicity our wedding created and all I'd say about the subject is that at the time it was the right thing for us to do. Obviously I'm doing this interview now, but 99.9 per cent of the time, when we're on the front of newspapers and magazines, it's actually nothing to do with us. With my first single I did one magazine and one newspaper interview and that was it, so fair enough I asked for that amount of publicity but I didn't ask for as much as everybody thinks. When I have a single out I don't have any choice but to do some press, plus I don't get any support from certain radio stations so I have to put myself in a position where my music will be played.

Do you think radio stations are not giving your music a chance because it is you?
Yeah, so I have to put myself in a position where I can get my music heard. Everything I do gets picked up on. When Westlife have a single out and do signing all over the country no one knocks them but when I do it it's a different story and I'm made to look desperate. Even with Out Of Your Mind I did no more promotion than any other artist but obviously someone got a bee in their bonnet about me so I got slated. I can't do as much promotion now because I've got Brooklyn at school and I'm travelling backwards and forwards with David. I've really enjoyed the radio interviews, especially over the past few days when I've been doing live acoustic sessions, which I've loved.

In your autobiography Learning To Fly, you wrote about a number of very distressing periods in your life which included kidnapping and death threats, the problems you had trusting a former bodyguard and the incident last year when your bags were stolen from Heathrow airport. With so much upheaval in your life you must find it difficult to trust people…
Very difficult, I'm careful with my security and I don't think I'd have anyone as close as that again - I'd always keep them at arm's length. It makes you very cynical because you can't trust anyone. I've known so many people who've sold stories to newspapers and it's sad when you realise that most people have a price but it teaches you a lot about human beings and you know who your friends are. My friend Maria Louise, who does my make-up, and my family and David's family are the closest people to me. Maria Louise knows everything about me and we've been friends since we were five but I don't have any other friends who are like that.

Because of his recent success on the pitch when captaining England, you husband's status has almost reached iconic levels. You must both feel it is incredible that only a few years ago David was vilified by the press and public…
David works very hard and he's great at what he does. In football there's a right and a wrong way to play and, even if you don't support Manchester United, you cannot dispute the fact that David's a brilliant player. With David, all women want to go to bed with him and so do loads of men [laughs] and if they don't want to sleep with him they want to be David because he's great at what he does. I've got nothing but respect for him because he's really gone from strength to strength. Weeks ago, when David wasn't being played, the press turned on him again and it was literally a few weeks after they'd said he should be knighted! David sits on the bench - doesn't have any bad games or do anything wrong - but because he's on the bench they are having a go at him, they just seem to want blood. It infuriated me because David takes things very personally and I hate it when people have a go at him.

You seem to be very protective of your husband…
Yes, when they had a go at David I was absolutely furious. That's my only fear with David because right now everyone loves him but at some point they won't and he knows that. He just has to enjoy it while he's being praised but he takes it all in his stride otherwise he'd come across as a bigheaded idiot. David knows the score and he's very clever. Contrary to what people think he's really intelligent and knows what it's all about.

So what has been the proudest moment when you've watched David play?
It has to be when he scored the last-minute goal against Greece. I felt really emotional and started crying because he'd done so well. I kept telling him to appreciate that feeling because everyone was so thrilled with him. David's been fantastic and has worked so hard. He loves the challenge of being the captain.

After his last-minute goal against Greece it was said that David should be honoured with a knighthood. How would you feel about being addressed as Lady Victoria Beckham?
I suppose I'd be Lady Beckham because there is a Lady Victoria already. I have to admit it would be quite cool and funny. I don't think he'll get knighted because you have to be about 60 years old, so I won't hold my breath.

People always seem to have an opinion on you as a couple, whether it's in a positive way - such as when Britney Spears made flattering comments about you both - or in a derogatory way. How do you stop negative work affecting you?
If people want to say negative things it doesn't really bother me because it can only hurt if you read what they've said and I don't read newspapers. Most people say negative things just to get themselves in the papers - they're so uninteresting themselves, that's the only way they can get publicity. I remember once a designer was doing a show and wanted publicity. He started saying thing about me even though I'd never met this person. Half the time I don't know who they are anyway.

Is it true that you were annoyed with your close friend Sir Elton John when he tried to make a joke about polycystic ovaries on Parkinson?
No, Elton's a really good friend of ours and we were laughing about that. We recently had dinner at the Ivy and we were joking about the whole episode because I thought it was very funny. I don't know where they got the story that I was annoyed.

Tell us what you, David and Brooklyn like to do as a family on the odd day off or evening at home…
We're really normal and, just like anyone else, we watch TV, go swimming - nothing particularly out of the ordinary. We like watching Friends and Cold Feet or DVDs. David's a really good cook and loves fresh fish or chicken for dinner with a glass of wine.

Are you a fan of Alistair McGowan's impressions of live at 'Beckingham Palace'?
I used to find him really funny but, as much as I can laugh at myself, I feel differently about his show now because it's that kind of extreme image which makes life difficult for me and David because people believe that's what our life is really like. The show has made it harder for me to put so many rumours to bed, especially when I'm trying so hard with my music career. I wouldn't say that Alistair McGowan particularly offend me, but it does make things so much harder.

Have you managed to watch the popular ITV1 show Footballers' Wives and is it anything like reality?
I think it's very entertaining. I was annoyed, though, when the girl called Chardonnay, who's supposedly meant to be me, was leaving a modelling shoot to join her fiancé Kyle, who's meant to be David, in a convertible Porsche. She comes running out wearing Gucci sunglasses, a designer outfit, Louis Vuitton bag and dripping with diamonds and jumps in the back of the car saying: 'Alright babe, we're so rich what should we spend our money on today?' When an image like that is portrayed I'm not surprised people get annoyed, and I don't like anyone thinking that we're at all like those two on the telly. It irritates the hell out of me - not because it's meant to be me but I looked at them and thought, what a pair of prats. I don't know who built the set but when anyone opens the door it looks like the whole building's shaking - it's not like that at Manchester United!

When do you plan to have a baby brother or sister for Brooklyn?
At some point in the future it would be nice and we would both like a big family. Brooklyn's getting bigger - he's almost three, which is unbelievable. Like his dad he loves football and gets very excited when he's watching David on the telly or at Old Trafford. He also likes to come with me when I'm working. I recently did CD:UK and he spent the whole day playing with the boys from the band Blue - he loves their music and is always dancing along to them.

You've been married for nearly three years and are more in love than ever. How do you keep your relationship so passionate?
David and I spend a fair amount of time apart so when we do see each other we make sure the time we have together is very special. We're a lot more personal than many people think and the whole Posh and Becks image is far removed from what we're really like . There's a lot about us that only we know.

A Mind Of It's Own is out on Virgin Records on February 11.

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INTERVIEW BY LISA PALTA
PHOTOGRAPHS BY MARCO MAREZZA
STYLING BY PAULA O'CONNOR
HAIR BY DIRK WALTER @ NAKED
MAKE-UP BY MARIA LOUISE FEATHERSTONE USING VERSACE MAKE-UP

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