Beckham claims not made in malice: Lawyer

The lawyer for Sarah Marbeck who claimed she'd had an affair with England soccer captain David Beckham said his client wasn't a malicious marriage wrecker.

The lawyer for an Australian-based model who claimed she'd had an affair with England soccer captain David Beckham said his client wasn't a malicious marriage wrecker. Sarah Marbeck told a British tabloid newspaper on Sunday that she'd had a sexual relationship with Beckham spanning two years after the pair met in Singapore in 2001.

It was the second time in a week that Beckham, who is married and has two sons with former Spice Girl Victoria, was the target of British tabloid reports of infidelity.

Melbourne's Herald-Sun newspaper on Tuesday carried a story citing un-named friends of Marbeck saying she was obsessed with England's biggest sporting star and doubted the extent of the relationship.

"I haven't seen that in Sarah at all," Melbourne lawyer Michael Brereton told the Australian Broadcasting Corp. radio on Wednesday. "She's obviously emotional and I think that her emotions are clear ... it's quite clear it wasn't a (malicious) or angry reaction." Brereton had released a statement on Marbeck's behalf on Tuesday, in which the Malaysian-born model said she was shocked at the intense media and public interest in her claims.

Marbeck wasn't in it for the money, Brereton said. "I think Sarah would say ... that she does see this as a way of moving on from the past, a past that was life-changing for her and an event that was life-changing for her," he said. "Sarah needed to move forward with her life and this is the way for her to move forward in the emotional sense. "That's her explanation and that's how she feels about it and I believe her when she says it."

Marbeck said she went public because she'd put her life on hold for two years waiting for Beckham because he told her he loved her. "I'm not a celebrity seeker, and I'm not interested in extra fame," she said.

The Real Madrid star and his wife have been in headline news since reports detailing Beckham's three-month affair with his personal assistant Rebecca Loos emerged the previous week. David and Victoria Beckham dismiss the claims and say they have taken legal advice over the rash of newspaper reports.