David Beckham sues former friend Mark Wahlberg over £8.5 million loss following soured fitness deal

David Beckham is suing Hollywood A-Lister Mark Wahlberg, his former friend, over an £8.5m business dispute.

The pair became good friends when the 48-year-old former footballer moved to the same Los Angeles neighbourhood as the 52-year-old fitness fan and Ted actor in 2007.

However, the friendship has been left in ruins as Beckham alleges that his former friend misled him during business dealings, accusing Wahlberg’s company of “fraudulent conduct” that has cost the star millions.

According to documents seen by The Sun, Beckham’s company DB Ventures Ltd initially began the litigation against F45 Training, which Wahlberg part-owns, in October 2022, alongside Australian golf entrepreneur Greg Norman, before a judge instructed the pair to bring their cases separately.

Beckham and Norman alleged that they had been misled into working with the company as ambassadors. A separate case is also being brought against the actor’s investment firm, Mark Wahlberg Investment Group (MWIG) and F45’s founders Adam Gilchrist and Rob Deutsch.

The sports legend claims he lost more than £8.5m when stocks he was promised were withheld before share prices plummeted.

Wahlberg and his co-defendants have claimed that the allegations of “fraudulent conduct” are baseless and have asked a judge to dismiss the lawsuit.

Their motion to dismiss goes further to say that DBVL are blaming others for their own mistakes, stating: “The 209-page, 610-paragraph SAC [complaint] tries to make up with length what it lacks in merit.”

The Independent has contacted representatives for Beckham and Wahlberg for comment.

Wahlberg became a minority shareholder in F45 Training in 2019, after he purchased a stake in the company through his investment group.

The company describes itself as offering “life-changing gym and functional team training”. It owns over 2,000 studios worldwide, including 1,000 in the US and 500 in Australia where it was founded in 2011 by Gilchrist and Deutsche. Wahlberg was named as chief brand officer in 2022.

In August 2023, F45 Training Holdings announced they had delisted from the New York Stock Exchange after its share price fell by 75 per cent.

According to Berkshire Hathaway’s company Business Wire, F45 had received notice from the NYSE that it was not in compliance with its listing standards.

Beckham had shared social media posts on Instagram promoting F45, but the pictures have since been deleted.