DAVID BECKHAM - BECKHAMS ASK JUDGE TO BLOCK PAPER'S NANNY PAYMENT

British celebrity couple VICTORIA and DAVID BECKHAM have asked a London High Court judge to freeze money paid to their former nanny ABBIE GIBSON for her recent tabloid revelations.

Gibson claimed the couple's six-year marriage was in trouble in an exclusive interview with Sunday newspaper NEWS OF THE WORLD last weekend (24APR05).

The Beckhams initially sought an injunction to ban the revelations from being published, but failed.

At the High Court today (29APR05) Gibson said she was prepared to give a legal undertaking not to make any more allegations about the Beckhams and was prepared to "hold" the $237,500 (GBP125,000) payment she received from the News Of The World.

The Beckhams' lawyer HUGH TOMLINSON QC says, "The whole purpose of this is to try and prevent the claimants' private life being aired in public in an unauthorised way by a treacherous employee."

The Beckhams and Gibson were not present in court. The couple are at their Madrid, Spain, home with their three children, BROOKLYN, ROMEO and CRUZ, while Gibson is also in the Mediterranean country.