The Drum Awards for Marketing - Extended Deadline

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By Noel Young, Correspondent

February 13, 2013 | 2 min read

Did David Beckham really use a bum - sorry body - double for his new H& M underwear ad? That's the question that is exercising the US right now.

The controversy hasn't affected the popularity of the ad (7 million views last week), says AdAge. " If Beckham crashing half-naked through the back yards of Beverley Hills is your thing, you're not alone.

"The ad directed by Guy Ritchie, has shoved aside some Super Bowl commercials to become the first non-Super Bowl spot to land on the Viral Video Chart since the big game."

Becks has admitted that he didn't actually do all the half-naked running around in the ad.

"David was very involved in the advert including doing most of the stunts," an H&M rep told E! News. "Due to his tight schedule a body double was used in smaller parts of the video."

So which parts features David's butt double and which were the real Becks?

HuffPost UK break it down for its American brethren , pointing out that in a few of the shots from behind, Beckham's tattoos seem to have mysteriously disappeared from his right arm. They appear again during front-on shots.

In a Twitter interview with fans, the football star tweeted that he did most of his own tricks:

"Hi @lizwren yes i did pretty much all my own stunts, was good fun //Beckham."

Huffpo recommends another viewing of the ad for research purposes.

As Adage says, "You have to watch that video pretty closely, and probably more than once, to find the discrepancies in the tats and muscle definition between the soccer star and whoever stood in for the shots showing the actual, well, product."