For Nicola Peltz Beckham, a starring role in a Ryan Murphy series should have been a glittering moment of validation, a chance to step out from the shadow of the Beckham family feud and be seen as a serious actress in her own right.

Instead, her new show, The Beauty, has been shredded by critics as ‘offensive’ and ‘unwatchable’. But that very public humiliation, sources suggest, is only part of a more complicated picture.

I can reveal the far less visible tension surrounding the production, what sources describe as a long-running and unresolved strain between Nicola and her co-star, supermodel Bella Hadid.

The two women appear in different episodes, with no joint promotion announced and no public interaction around the series.

Sources indicate the root of the distance lies in Nicola’s past relationship with Bella’s brother, Anwar Hadid, which ended acrimoniously and fractured her ties with the wider Hadid family.

A well-placed source says: ‘Bella and Nicola have not exchanged words in years. They did not form a friendship.'

They add: 'They were fine when Nicola was dating Anwar up until a point, and then everything went sour with the whole family.’

That personal history, the source explains, was known during the casting process. ‘When projects are being pitched, there’s a rundown of everyone involved. Everyone knows the lay of the land.’

With that awareness came boundaries. ‘There were no cutting remarks because of the professionalism,’ the source says. 

‘But it was established that Bella and Nicola would not be doing any promotion together. This was conveyed to both PR teams.’

Daily Mail has contacted Nicola and Bella's representatives for comment. 

Bella, 27, appears in the premiere episode, while Nicola, 31, features later in the series.

The fallout from Nicola’s relationship with Anwar, sources say, extended beyond Bella herself. Yolanda Hadid was a key figure, but not the only one.

‘It wasn’t just Yolanda. The other siblings weren’t keen either,’ the source says. ‘Nicola avoided the constant family gatherings, preferring time alone with Anwar. That clashed with their very all-in family way of life.’

The tension never eased. ‘Yolanda is deeply involved in her children’s lives, and she and Nicola simply did not connect,’ the source adds. ‘It’s no surprise she is firmly Team David and Victoria Beckham and makes that clear online.’

That history gives context to a public swipe this week from Alana Hadid, 40, the family’s eldest sibling. 

As the Beckham feud escalated, Alana branded Nicola ‘fame-hungry’, writing: ‘That girl doesn’t want privacy. She’s been trying to be famous for a decade.’

The parallels with Nicola’s current dispute with the Beckhams are difficult to ignore. In a statement this week, her husband Brooklyn Beckham, 26, accused his parents of trying to ‘ruin’ their marriage, claiming Victoria Beckham called him ‘evil’ and that family members said Nicola was ‘not blood’.

‘She’s not a nasty girl by any means,’ the source says. ‘She just doesn’t feel a need to impress or make a huge effort, which can rub people the wrong way. That comes from her upbringing. She’s extremely privileged, treated like a bit of a princess, and expects others to make the effort.’

That trait, the source suggests, has affected other high-profile friendships. ‘She has a small group of friends who are very loyal to her,’ they say. ‘But over time, a lot of those friendships fall away. Even Selena Gomez and Nicola were once close, but Selena has since stepped back. Nicola was not present at her wedding.’

The Beauty was meant to mark a turning point in Nicola’s career. Instead, the series has been critically savaged, while the circumstances around its release reflect personal tensions that continue to follow her.