It’s really war! Coleen hires Depp barrister for Wagatha Christie battle with Rebekah
COLEEN Rooney has hired the celebrity barrister acting for Johnny Depp in his blockbuster libel case to represent her in the ‘Wagatha Christie’ legal battle with Rebekah Vardy.
The Mail on Sunday understands that Mrs Rooney has instructed David Sherborne to fight claims she defamed Mrs Vardy with allegations that personal information was leaked from her private Instagram account to a newspaper.
The news comes days after documents submitted to the High Court claimed that Mrs Vardy, who is married to Leicester City striker Jamie Vardy, suffered physical and mental anguish as a result of Mrs Rooney’s allegations.
The papers say the 38-year-old mother of five ‘suffered from severe panic attacks and anxiety which manifested in being scared to leave the house’, adding that Mrs Vardy, who was seven months pregnant at the time, ‘was taken to hospital three times… as she suffered anxiety attacks as a result of the post and the repercussions of it’.
As well as representing Depp in his libel action against The Sun over allegations the actor was a wife-beater, Mr Sherborne, 50, is acting for the Duke and Duchess of Sussex in their privacy claim against Associated Newspapers, publishers of The Mail on Sunday.
After mediation talks between the two WAGs failed, insiders are now expecting a dramatic courtroom showdown.
‘If you thought the Depp trial was box office, don’t underestimate this forthcoming WAG war,’ said a source. ‘It really is war now. Coleen will not back down, neither will Becky. It will be sensational stuff.’
The feud exploded in October when Mrs Rooney claimed that someone using Mrs Vardy’s Instagram account had leaked fake stories about her to a newspaper. She was nicknamed ‘Wagatha Christie’ after revealing how she had she spent five months slowly limiting the number of friends who could see her updates on Instagram stories until only Mrs Vardy’s account remained. Mrs Rooney claims she then posted a fake story on Instagram, which was later published in a red-top newspaper.
In her legal submission, Mrs Vardy, who has denied involvement, alleges that she was made to feel like a ‘scapegoat’ after Mrs Rooney posted the allegations ‘in a calculated and deliberate manner that was designed to cause very serious harm and enormous distress’.
But Mrs Rooney’s team has challenged the claim, alleging that details of her anguish are a ‘PR exercise’ that distracts from the facts. A source said: ‘Becky’s papers are a sideshow, it is all so spurious.’
Mrs Rooney – who has four sons with former England star Wayne Rooney – is being represented by lawyer Paul Lunt, of Liverpoolbased legal firm Brabners.
Mrs Vardy is with London company Kingsley Napley, but it is unclear if she has yet instructed a barrister.
A spokesman for Mrs Rooney declined to comment.
‘She will not back down. It will be sensational’