The mezzo received distressing messages on Twitter following rumours of an affair with David Beckham.

Welsh mezzo-soprano Katherine Jenkins has contacted the police over menacing slurs and death threats posted to her Twitter account.

The 32-year-old singer became the subject of unwanted public scrutiny in recent weeks when rumours surfaced that she has been having an affair with British soccer star David Beckham, a father of four.

Jenkins refuted the claims online: “Dear Twitter friends,” she wrote, “I’ve read some horrible rumours on here & want you 2 know I absolutely deny I’ve had an affair with David Beckham.

“The rumours are very hurtful, untrue & my lawyers tell me actionable,” she continued, adding that she had only met Beckham twice, both times in public settings.

Not long after setting the record straight, Jenkins was attacked with abusive Tweets and death threats on the social media site, one malicious comment reading, “That bitch is going to get cut if David and Posh split.”

The incidents have been reported to the authorities, and Jenkins herself has posted on Twitter that she has gone “back to work” in the recording studio.