Coleen and Rebekah in talks to avoid libel trial
FOOTBALLERS’ wives Coleen Rooney and Rebekah Vardy are set for “bury the hatchet” talks to avert a sensational libel trial costing hundreds of thousands of pounds. Rebekah is suing Coleen after she publicly accused the wife of Leicester City and England striker Jamie Vardy of leaking stories about her to a newspaper. Dancing On Ice star Rebekah vehemently denies the allegations claiming they are untrue and defamatory. Coleen, wife of former England star Wayne, has made several attempts to settle the dispute, the High Court was told at a preliminary hearing last November. The case was put on hold until February 8 to give both sides time to reach an agreement. If they fail, there will be a costly libel trial in the summer. Both women have hired teams of top lawyers and it is understood
the legal costs for each side have already reached six figures.
Coleen, 34, has reportedly proposed a so-called “drop hands” settlement where she and Rebekah, 38, will “agree to disagree” over the allegations and avert a trial.
A source said: “Coleen did make an offer several months ago. It’s still on the table. She offered that both Coleen and Rebekah would pay their own legal costs and give money to charity. Both would walk away amicably but agreeing to disagree, instead of the spectacle of paying money to lawyers.”
Mother-of-four Coleen accused Rebekah of being a mole for a newspaper in an explosive online statement read by millions in October 2019.
The allegation against her former friend came after Coleen planted fake news about herself and her family on Instagram.
It led her to be dubbed “Wagatha Christie” – a play on Wags meaning wives and girlfriends of football stars. Lawyers for Rebekah told the High Court she suffered online abuse following Coleen’s statement and was so bad she felt “suicidal”.
Rebekah told Hello! magazine in December:
“The New Year could potentially see a resolution between us.”