David Beckham hopes his children are inspired by his work ethic

Reflecting on his marriage and his family life, David explained to the Australian TV show 'The Sunday Project': "I think if you know each other well, if you know you've got great friends and great family behind you, the thing we have to do is protect our children and we are very proud of the family.

"We are hard working and we feel that is the right way to bring up our children to prove and to show to them you have to work really hard to be successful."

David retired from soccer in 2013 and has subsequently been able to spend even more quality time with his children.

In fact, the British icon admitted to having become anxious about the prospect of leaving his kids for any length of time.

He confessed: "I get physically ill when I have to leave the kids now."

Despite this, David - who was, perhaps, the world's best-known soccer star during his playing days - has previously admitted to missing the thrill of competing.

The former England captain shared: "I miss soccer every day, I don't know whether it's the athlete in me, or the passion I have for the game: I always think that I can step back on the field and play... You know, maybe I could play another year in the U.S.

"If I was still living in LA, I'd probably really seriously think about coming back for a year. But we're living in London, and the kids are happy in the school."