Is Coleen set to throw in towel on Wagatha Christie legal f ight?
COLEEN ROONEY fears that she may be forced to accept defeat in her ‘War of the Wags’ legal battle with Rebekah Vardy.
The wife of ex- England footballer Wayne Rooney is being sued by her former friend after publicly accusing her of leaking stories about her private life. The bitter dispute has raged for 18 months, with another High Court hearing scheduled for July 2.
But friends of Mrs Rooney say she is considering throwing in the towel because her legal team are struggling to find vital evidence.
One told The Mail on Sunday: ‘She is still convinced she’s in the right but that is very different from being able to prove it in a court of law. She wanted to settle this amicably ages ago but to her dismay, it has dragged on.’
Lawyers said the total estimated legal bill to date stands at £1.3 million – £900,000 for Mrs Vardy and £400,000 for Mrs Rooney.
In the event of a trial, whoever loses will probably have to meet the other’s costs as well as their own. Damages could take the loser’s bill to more than £2 million.
It is understood that Mrs Vardy is asking that Mrs Rooney pays her costs and damages and issues a public apology.
A source close to Mrs Vardy, whose husband Jamie played for England with her rival’s husband, said: ‘Rebekah will not drop her demands of a sorry from Coleen. She feels that a lot of pain and upset has been caused by the accusations against her.’
The dispute began in 2019 when Mrs Rooney, 34, publicly accused Mrs Vardy, 39, of leaking stories from her private Instagram account. In a ‘sting operation’ that earned her the nickname Wagatha Christie, she turned detective to find out where newspaper stories about her were coming from.
The mother- of- four planted fake posts on her private Instagram account, then claimed to have blocked all of her followers except Mrs Vardy, who is now claiming aggravated damages and seeking an injunction preventing Mrs Rooney from repeating the allegations. An effort to resolve the dispute through mediation failed earlier this month and plans for a full trial were made.
Court papers fi l ed by Mrs Rooney last year claimed Mrs Vardy was the ‘ Secret WAG’ behind an anonymous column in The Sun on Sunday. Last summer, Mrs Rooney instructed celebrity barrister David Sherborne to represent her.
Last night a spokesperson for Mrs Rooney declined to comment.