After his whirlwind trips to the US, the Far East and Spain, David Beckham apparently needed a respite from his packed schedule.
And what better place to chill out than friend Elton John's luxurious estate on the French Riviera, a favourite haunt of the rich and famous. The superstar footballer, who returns to his new team Real Madrid this month, has spent the last few days at the Nice mansion, relaxing as he gets ready for the new stage of his career.
But the England captain's getaway hasn't been all play and no work – he's been spotted keeping up his training, sporting a high-tech music player as he goes on a daily six-mile jog.
Elton's lush home – the yellow-toned palace features a tower room overlooking the Mediterranean – is hidden among pine trees at the end of a winding road protected by a gate. "Heaven must be like this," the rocker told Architectural Digest when the prestigious mag featured his Nice, Atlanta and London pads. "If Gabriel popped out from behind a tree and said hi, I wouldn't be surprised."
The Brit-born vocalist is just one of a host of celebs to own getaway destinations in the South of France. Indeed Posh and Becks have recently bought their own holiday home in nearby Bargemon on the Cote d'Azur.