David Beckham hits back at criticism after sharing picture of himself kissing Harper

David Beckham has addressed the backlash that both he and wife Victoria have faced after sharing pictures of themselves kissing their daughter Harper on the lips.

Speaking during a recent Facebook Live, David, who is dad to Brooklyn, 18, Romeo, 14, and Cruz, 12, as well as five-year-old Harper, said: 'I got actually criticised for kissing my daughter on the lips the other day. I kiss all my kids on the lips.'

With regards to kissing the children in public, he added: 'Brooklyn maybe not. Brooklyn's 18, he might find that a little bit strange.

'But I'm very affectionate with the kids. It's how I was brought up and Victoria, and it's how we are with our children.

'We want to show our kids love and we protect them, look after them, and support them, and we're very affectionate with them.'

David posted the image in question back in June, captioning the sweet snap simply: 'Kiss for Daddy ❤️'.

Although many fans praised the celeb dad for his parenting, others questioned the appropriateness of the image, with some calling it 'weird' and 'wrong'.

Victoria, meanwhile, faced similar criticism after uploading a snap back in July of the previous year, in honour of Harper's birthday.

'Why are you kissing your daughter on the mouth?' one follower asked the former Spice Girl in the comment section of the photo at the time.

Later in the interview, David admitted that Harper may face challenges when she starts dating, coming from a large family with three older brothers.

'Once she starts dating, that person will have to go through an inspection with her brothers [and] her dad. It'll be tough,' he joked.

'Having children is the most special thing in the world. You don't love any of them any more than any of the others. It's just different, you know. The boys are very protective over her, and obviously so am I, as you can tell.'