David Beckham’s firm is suing Hollywood actor Mark Wahlberg after footballer’s role as fitness brand ambassador turned sour.

David Beckham was a brand ambassador for Mark Wahlberg’s F45 (Image: Getty)

David Beckham is suing former pal Mark Wahlberg over a staggering £8.5m loss.

The former England captain, 48, and Hollywood actor, 52, became close friends when Becks moved out to America to play for LA Galaxy in 2007.

But now they are facing off in a tense legal battle, with Beckham’s firm DB Ventures Ltd claiming Wahlberg ‘duped’ the footballer into working with his F45 fitness brand.

Golden Balls became the firm’s global ambassador and was frequently pictured training at their events and posing with the team.

Becks was seen working out with branded equipment at F45 fitness centres and shared posts on Instagram to his millions of followers.

Beckham at the F45 Training Launch in Miami (Image: Getty)

However, things turned sour when Beckham claimed he lost more than £8.5million when stocks he was promised were withheld until after the share price fell rapidly.

DBVL alleges that shares promised to be given in early 2022 were not received until months later, when the share price had plummeted from $12 a share to just $3.

According to The Sun, Beckham is suing Wahlberg, his firm Mark Wahlberg Investment Group (MWIG) and F45 founders Adam Gilchrist and Rob Deutsch.

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

F45’s share price was once at the dizzying height of $16 a share but they are now worth just 15 cents.

Wahlberg became a minority shareholder in F45 in 2019 when he bought a stake in the company through his investment group.