Coleen
Why me and the boys had to join Wayne in US
Standing in front of the Lincoln Memorial in Washington DC, Coleen Rooney beams as she poses for a touristy snap with her eldest son, Kai.
But behind the smiles, this is very much a working holiday for the mum of four. Since jetting into the US capital this week, Coleen has been on a reconnaissance mission. She’s been viewing potential homes and researching schools, following husband Wayne’s transfer from Everton to DC United.
For someone whose partner earns £300,000 a week, it would have been easy to surrender the huge task to Wayne’s advisers and management team.
But down-to-earth Coleen, who hails from the working-class suburb of Croxteth in Liverpool, is personally overseeing every detail to ensure the move is as smooth as possible for her children.
It’s fair to that say uprooting the Rooney family – Kai, eight, Klay, five, Kit, two, and six-month-old Cass – from their settled life in Britain has not been without complications.
Especially for a homebody like Coleen, 32, who has always been close to her parents, Tony and Colette McLoughlin.
“It was an emotional conversation with my mum,” admits Coleen, in her first newspaper interview about settling into a new life in America. “It’s hard not being able to pop down the road – an eight-hour flight is a long distance. You can’t just nip over for a cup of tea.”
She adds: “It’s been a bit of a blur so far getting everything sorted. I am sure it will all sink in soon.”
Then there is the small issue of her boys all being settled in the UK – not least Kai, who Coleen admits is in a “fantastic” school near their current home in Cheshire.
She says: “That was the one thing I was gutted about – having to take him out of school, as we love it. That’s the hardest thing.
“Obviously, we can try to get him back into it when we eventually come back to England.”
Nonetheless, she thinks that Kai, in particular, will be able to adapt to life on another continent. But it’s proving a bit more of a sensitive issue for Klay.
Coleen says: “My eldest is so outgoing he is fine – you put him anywhere and he will get on with it. But my five-year-old loves home and being comforted.
“He said, ‘What are my friends going to do without me?’. But they are young enough to adapt to it – and there are so many school holidays anyway.”
While they’re in Washington for the long haul, certainly the remainder of Wayne’s playing career, there is no doubt that they will be returning to England. Not least as work is currently under way on building their £20million mansion in Cheshire, featuring a bar, snooker room, cinema and indoor swimming pool. When the Rooneys eventually return, it won’t just be the new house they’ll have to get used to but possibly new accents as well. Coleen says: “My younger one [Cass] is going to be learning to talk over in America, as he’s only six months. They’ll all have a bit of everything accent-wise when they come back.” But for the time being, Coleen’s mind is focused on the biggest move of her life.
“I don’t think it will affect us as a family. As long as you are all together, we can take on anything.
“When [Wayne] signed, there was no doubt in my mind that we wouldn’t go. We are a family.
“Especially for the kids. You want your mum and dad when you are growing up – like my mum and dad were there for me. We have always been a close unit – I want that for my kids as well.”
Family is clearly very important to Coleen.
Born into a hardworking Catholic home, her dad Tony was a bricklayer who ran a boxing club. Along with her mum Colette, Tony raised Coleen, her two brothers, Joe and Anthony, and their adopted sister Rosie, who had the genetic disorder Rett syndrome, and died aged 14 in 2013.
Coleen says: “I will miss my family. They help us so much with the kids. But they will come and visit.”
And her trip over this week is proving useful.
“Initially, it will be hard to get sorted. But I am viewing some houses and [sorting the schools] out.
“As it’s the summer holidays, we haven’t had to rush over there. I didn’t want to go and live in a hotel. We have had a bit of time to get sorted.”
Despite previously enjoying a string
Cass will learn to talk over there. They’ll all come back with mixed accents
of holidays in the US, including visits to Las Vegas and Florida, it’s Coleen’s first time in Washington.
“I’ve never been before. But Wayne is loving it and thinks the city’s great. It’s going to be nice and exciting.”
And once they are settled in the new home, Coleen has her sights set on visiting the White House. She says: “It would be nice for the kids to come back and say they’ve had a tour.”
Coleen hopes to make new friends on the school run, as well as among the families of other DC United stars.
“When foreign players move over, you know they have a team there where you can make some connections and friendships,” she says.
Wayne, 32, has enjoyed a fruitful start at DC United. He scored his first goal but also broke his nose and required stitches in a 2-1 win over Colorado Rapids in an MLS fixture last month. Coleen says: “He’s fine now – just a couple of black eyes.”
The couple celebrated their 10-year wedding anniversary in June, after a tough 12 months.
Wayne pleaded guilty to drink-driving in September last year, after he was pulled over while with a woman.
Coleen stood by her husband, insisting they are happier than ever. Not least because Wayne wasn’t part of England’s World Cup team this time round, so the pair got to spend their anniversary together. In between packing for their American adventure, Coleen also found time to take part in the McDonald’s Football Mum of the Year Award, set up in 2015 to recognise the vital role mums play in the amateur game.
She said of this year’s winner, Helen Atkinson: “She’s not just a mum, she manages her own football team, she does a lot and takes her boys to the game. It’s nice to get involved in the event.”
Coleen was speaking at the 2018 FA & McDonald’s Grassroots Football Awards, which celebrates grassroots heroes across England. For more, visit mcdonalds.co.uk/grassroots.