Beckham battling to reclaim respect

Knighthood revelations put huge dent in icon's wholesome image

David Beckham's squeaky-clean image as a sporting and cultural icon has been severely tarnished following the leaking of expletive-strewn emails in which he raged about not receiving a knighthood.

The former England soccer captain is said to have sworn in emails to his PR team after being told he would not be dubbed "Sir David" by Queen Elizabeth because of concerns about his tax affairs.