Celebrity Nativity scene removed by British wax museum after attack

Published: 2004-12-14

LONDON (CNS) -- A British wax exhibit that featured soccer star David Beckham as St. Joseph and Beckham's wife, former Spice Girls singer Victoria Adams, as Mary, was closed after a vandal attacked it. Staff at Madame Tussauds wax museum, one of London's most successful tourist attractions, said the man "extensively damaged" the models of Beckham and Adams. The vandal smashed his fists repeatedly into the soft wax faces of the models Dec. 12. The display was erected in early December after 300 people were asked in an October poll which celebrities they would most like to see in the scene. Museum officials said it would not reopen because repairs were unlikely to be completed before the scheduled closure date of Jan. 3. Other models in the attraction included U.S. President George W. Bush, British Prime Minister Tony Blair and the Duke of Edinburgh as the Three Wise Men, actors Samuel L. Jackson and Hugh Grant as shepherds, and Australian pop star Kylie Minogue as an angel. Jesus was represented by a plastic doll.

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