Sir David Beckham credits Guy Ritchie with inspiring his love of the countryside because he is the "ultimate country gentleman"

Beckham told Country Life magazine: "[Guy Ritchie is] a modern-day caveman, who has made me fall far deeper in love with the countryside and helped me to understand it even more than I did before.

"Sometimes we sit for hours around a fire, just the two of us, and talk late into the night. Guy is the ultimate country gentleman, who absolutely loves his estate in Wiltshire.

"Spending time with him is one of the reasons I fell so deeply in love with the countryside. He's a great and very close friend, who inspires me so much.

"I learn a lot from him - whether it's about life, countryside management, people, politics, the monarchy or what it means to be British - all of the time."

Beckham also revealed he's grown close to fellow former footballer Vinnie Jones, who has also moved to the countryside in recent years.

He added: "I didn't think he [Jones] liked me. But when I met him later at Guy's place, we didn't stop talking. He bought me a walking stick he'd made for me and he's now a great friend, who, like me, has found solace in the country later in life."

Beckham and his wife Victoria bought their property in the Cotswolds in 2016, but the former sportsman admits he didn't become fully immersed in country life until he was forced to stay at home during the COVID-19 lockdowns.

He told the Daily Mail newspaper: "I knew that once I had the country house, my love of the countryside would grow. But I didn't realise how much it would. What changed things for us - as it did for so many other people - was the Covid lockdown in 2020.

"I can remember feeling so lucky to have a place like this then. We based ourselves here and, when it got to the stage when only one family member was allowed to go to do the food shopping, I said to Victoria: 'Why don't we grow everything here? Why don't we have chickens?' And that's how it all started.

"I wanted my own carrots and eggs and to grow flowers that we could cut to have in the house, so I planned out my vegetable garden and the chicken area."