The truth about the ‘bitchy, Mean Girls’ world of the WAGs’

The reality of life as a footballer’s wife or girlfriend has been thrown under the spotlight in recent months, following the WAGatha Christie scandal, where Coleen Rooney called out Rebekah Vardy on social media and accused her Instagram account of leaking false stories about her – something she denies. And last week, the feud, which is reportedly headed to court after both women apparently sought legal action, hit the headlines again after two more WAGs waded in.

England player Kyle Walker’s ex-girlfriend Annie Kilner claimed that Rebekah and husband Jamie “saw themselves as the next Posh and Becks”. Meanwhile, former England goalkeeper Peter Shilton’s wife Stephanie, 51, who calls herself “Granny WAG”, claimed Coleen – who is married to footballer Wayne Rooney – wanted to “knock the Vardys off the number one spotlight”, as Rebekah is now “the most well-known modern WAG”. In her since-deleted Facebook post, Stephanie even alleged that the WAGatha Christie scandal was a “PR stunt” to keep Coleen at the top of the pecking order of footballers’ wives.

Earlier this month it also emerged that Coleen, 34, and Rebekah, 38, had reached a stalemate in their legal battle, with Coleen reportedly sacking her lawyers after they said her legal case against Rebekah “[wasn’t] very strong”.

Here, footballer’s wife Nicola McLean opens up to Closer about the lavish – but sometimes venomous – world of footballers’ wives and girlfriends…