Inside Nicola Peltz Beckham’s life – from billionaire family to famous exes and film career

Brooklyn Beckham has publicly denounced his family in a shock Instagram statement adding that his mum Victoria pulled out of making Nicola’s wedding dress last minute

Brooklyn Beckham and Nicola Peltz have stood together as the eldest Beckham son has spoken out about Victoria, David and the rest of his family – suggesting they “controlled” him his whole life.

The aspiring chef has been at the centre of feud speculations for years – from when he tied the knot with his wife, billionaire heiress Nicola Peltz, in April 2022. Nicola was brought up in upstate New York by her parents, billionaire businessman Nelson Peltz, 79, and former model Claudia Heffner, 66. She has six brothers and one sister.

Not much was known about the socialite until her star-studded wedding day. While the Beckhams possess their own grand net worth of an estimated £500million, it pales in comparison to that of Nicola’s dad – who is worth $1.6 billion.

Family wealth

Nelson Peltz, 78, is the 432nd richest person in the US, owning a vast property portfolio, a Renoir and a couple of private jets. It is known that he used to fly by helicopter to work everyday until his neighbours complained about the noise.

The Peltz patriarch, who counts Rupert Murdoch and golfer Greg Norman as friends, came from rather more humble beginnings.

He dropped out of University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School in 1963, with the intention of becoming a ski instructor and ended up joining his family’s food delivery business. He started out as a driver and worked his way up the ranks expanding the business and eventually buying a stake in the vending-machine company Triangle Industries Inc., which he built into a Fortune 100 company.

In 1997, he founded Trian, a food and beverages company, investing in and acquiring brands including Cadbury, Pepsi, Quaker Oats, Heinz and Schweppes.

Peltz married his third wife, fashion model Claudia Heffner in 1985, who is the mother of Nicola and eight of his ten children. Nicola is a model and actress, having starred in the Psycho prequel Bates Motel and Transformers: Age of Extinction. She also wrote and directed her own film, Lola, in 2024. Elon Musk was at premiere, as well as several other famous faces.

She once told Interview magazine that she spent her childhood playing ice hockey and thought it would become her career – following in the footsteps of her brother Brad Peltz, now 32.

However, after attending an acting class at school, Nicola developed an interest in pursuing a career in the arts, later securing roles with the Manhattan Theatre Club. Her passion for acting reportedly inspired her older brother Will Peltz, now 35, to become an actor himself, with him later appearing in films such as Unfriended (2015).

Film career

Nicola made her film debut in the holiday comedy Deck the Halls (2006), where she portrayed Mackenzie, sharing the screen with the likes of Danny DeVito, 77.

She later featured in the music video for Miley Cyrus’ hit ‘7 Things’, released in 2008, and took on the role of Katara in the fantasy flick The Last Airbender (2010).

However, she’s perhaps best recognised for her starring role as Bradley Martin in the drama-thriller series Bates Motel – a prequel to the iconic film Psycho (1960).

She played the love interest of the lead character but left the cast during the second season, only to return for several episodes in the show’s third season.

Her acting portfolio also includes roles in films such as Transformers: Age of Extinction (2014), Our House (2018) and Holidate (2020), among various other appearances.

Famous ex-boyfriends

Over the years, Nicola has been romantically linked to a few famous faces, including model Anwar Hadid, 22, brother of supermodels Gigi and Bella.

Their relationship lasted for approximately a year and a half before they decided to part ways.

Subsequently, Nicola began dating Brooklyn Beckham, the eldest offspring of the Beckham clan, towards the end of 2019. Rumour has it that the pair first crossed paths at a Halloween party that year.

The couple made their relationship Instagram official at the start of 2020, posting a mirror selfie of themselves, and announced their engagement in July that year.

The couple have been effusive about each other on social media since they started dating, with Nicola describing him as an “incredible person” with a heart of “pure gold.”

They are now mere days away from their wedding, which is set to take place at a grand beachside estate in Palm Beach owned by her father, reportedly valued at £78 million.

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