Why did Beckham hide his asthma for so long?

[Earthstar]

Seems a bit weird to me?

Did he hide it especially? Maybe he just gets on with it and didn't think anyone would be interested..

I dunno anything about him or football, but I have asthma. I just sort of forget about it really if its controlled.

I havent read any articles about this but why would he need to announce he has it? obviously it hasnt affected his game, its nobody elses business but his own, if he has piles, should he announce that too?

(VinegarTits, as I understand it he was photographed using an inhaler, the media went mildly loopy over it, so his spokesman confirmed that he does have mild asthma and has done since he was a child)

(if he's photographed using something that reveals he has piles, I really don't want to know about it)

(not that I wanted to know about the inhaler/asthma, but the extent to which I don't want to know about the piles is far greater)

Well he could have easily be photographed holding a tube of germaloids as he was holding his inhaler

why are all your sentences in (brakets)?

I have mild asthma, which basically means when I get a cold it sometimes goes on my chest and I get a very bad cough for several weeks and have to have an inhaler. For years after I might not have to use an inhaler again. maybe he's like that. Or (that).

Is he asthmatic?

Does it bother me?

Hmm, not really sure if he 'hid' it.

And why do we have the feeling that we need to know EVERYTHING about Slebs? Are they not entitled to some privacy, particularly about their health issues?

No, but it might be a positive thing to tell kids with asthma - that it doesn't hold you back. Paula Radcliff is very open about it, as is the rower ( Redgrave?) and Rooney.

I quite like that I can tell DS that it really doesn't matter.

But agree he is entitled to keep it private if he wants.

"as I understand it he was photographed using an inhaler, the media went mildly loopy over it"

Presumably, that is why he never said anything before....

You're right Litchick, I saw this 'story' on BBC Breakfast yesterday, DS was over the moon that Beckham also had asthma yet could still play professional sport. He's just turned 8, and between asthma and allergies is fed up with 'can't' and 'shouldn't', he's desperate to be a pro rugby player (hey, aim high!) and for once he felt things might just go his way. Alright, we'd been telling him for ages asthma wasn't a barrier, but for kids especially seeing someone famous coping just like they do is a real boost.

I'm not sure he did hide it - i know the papers are making a big fuss about it at the moment but I've definitely heard him talking about having asthma before.

SkipToMyLou -- your DS may find this article interesting, then.

perhaps he didn't think it was anyone else's business

didn't hide it,just didn't publicise it. while it might be good for kids beckham doesn't have a duty to be a role model. and perhaps he thought in his early years it would be a mark against him, during his peak it might have been used against him by people for his lack of pace and now in his later years where many people want to see him dropped it could have been held against him again (we can't carry an ageing player with asthma in the WC etc.)
or perhaps as many have said, it doesn't really bother him,he rarely needs an inhaler so he never thought of it as being an issue.

Poor guy, damned if he told, damned if he didn't. Whilst I agree that he could have encouraged children with asthma to aim high, it could have affected his career big time...which is now coming true as the media are questioning his ability to play at full strength in high altitudes.
Lets hope they don't go on and on and on and on about it.

I think it's a bit odd as it's always been known that Paul Scholes, Beckham's former teammate at United, has asthma and I thought that he (Scholes) was a great example to kids with asthma that it needn't necessarily hold you back. My ds2 has mild asthma and is a mad keen footballer, and he identifies with Scholes quite a bit because of this. I don't think it would have hurt for Beckham, with his higher profile, to reveal that he had overcome asthma too.

Did he hide it@? or did he just never need his inhaler during a ,match before now? (ie it was under control)

Do you think every person in the public eye should declare illnesses?

scholes is a great example to all kids on how to conduct yourself in every facet of being a professional footballer. although scholes probably benefits from being one of the most gifted players of his generation and has rarely (about 3 seasons ago seemed to be on the wane) if ever had his ability questioned unlike beckham who has always stirred controversy and resentment among football fans for being more hype than substance.
i do remember gary mabbut being a great example to kids with diabetes thogh and perhaps this could have had a similar effect. however as i said before i don't think he hid it,he just didn't publicise it. and if he did hide it then whatever his reasons it's his decision to make.

Thank you ProfessorLayton, he'll enjoy that!

Is anyone really even remotely bothered anyway?

Next we'll be questioning why celebs don't tell us every time they sneeze

Awww mayorquimby a poster after my own heart!

I love Scholesy and hope he will be able to be a good example to show my own DS. Who is also a ginger asthmatic. I do wonder if it will be too late to use him tho as DS is only 4.5 still.

(He scores goals my lord, he scores goals,
he scores goals my lord he scores goals,
he scores my lord he scores goals.
PAUL SCHOLES HE SCORES GOALS)

Sorry that was totally irrelevant, but I do heart Paul Scholes

Does it really matter?

I'm exactly the same as Puppy, I'm asthmatic but have used my inhaler for the first time in well over a year as I had a cold & it's on my chest making me wheezy. It's not something I make an issue out of as lots of people are asthmatic, as long as it's controlled it's not a problem.

Would should he have to disclose every single medical issue he has?

I don't really think he hid it though.

I don't think he hid it on purpose, but he's done my DD a favour as she says she'll try harder in PE cos he tries hard at football

"Sorry that was totally irrelevant, but I do heart Paul Scholes"

who doesn't? he's the ginger ninja.
another great thing about paul scholes is ....he doesn't have an agent. just uses kpmg to read over his contracts because he negotiates his own contracts and knows the club will pay him what he's worth. also the fact that he is sponsored by nike but rarely if ever appears in ads to promote himself because they are just happy to have the association with scholes.
and my final great bit of paul scholes knowledge is that when david beckham joined real madrid zidane and makelele came up to him and asked him what it was like to play with paul scholes.

I don't think he hid it. He just didn't mention it as it probably may not have come up in interviews etc.