The real reason Coleen can’t back down in her war with Rebekah
As Coleen Rooney faces fresh drama in her legal case against Rebekah Vardy over the so-called WAGatha Christie scandal, an insider reveals why a broken bond is behind the relentless feud
Her bitter war against former pal and fellow WAG Rebekah Vardy shows no sign of ending as, last week, reports claimed Coleen Rooney had sacked her legal team after they “claimed her case isn’t very strong”.
Undeterred, Coleen, 34, is looking to engage with new lawyers to continue fighting the case, which could go to the High Court after negotiations in a video-call between the mum of four and Rebekah, 38 – who denies leaking stories about her last year – reached deadlock last month. Rebekah, who is married to England footballer Jamie Vardy, has reportedly threatened to sue Coleen for libel while Coleen is claiming an alleged breach of privacy.
BETRAYAL
In October, Coleen was dubbed “WAGatha Christie” for her investigative skills after she planted false stories on her Instagram feed and claimed they were being leaked to a tabloid newspaper by Rebekah’s Instagram account – something Rebekah strongly denies.
The latest twist in the saga surprised fans, some of whom questioned why Coleen was so adamant about continuing her battle. Others noted she famously forgave husband Wayne, 34, for misdemeanours involving other women in the past and asked why she couldn’t forgive Rebekah.
One wrote online, “Still can’t understand how what Vardy did triggered this reaction when her husband has been publicly treating her like a mug for years and she just rolls over!”, while another posted,
“...and her so-called husband has cheated on her repeatedly. Maybe she’s pointing her anger in the wrong direction.” One fan added, “She is angry and betrayed, but can’t/doesn’t want to take it on her man so she does this instead to get her anger and frustration out. Not that I am on BV side... but still. This is a huge reaction for something, yes annoying, but rather minor.”
Coleen has repeatedly managed to move past a string of Wayne’s indiscretions. And last week the pair celebrated their 12th wedding anniversary, with the WAG showing fans how happy they are by declaring her love for him on Instagram.
But they’ve endured numerous tests to their marriage. As well as allegedly cheating on her twice – including once when she was pregnant – he was also arrested for drink-driving while in the company of party girl Laura Simpson in 2017, who claimed they had kissed. Following that incident, notoriously private Coleen made a statement on Facebook, saying Wayne had made “silly and selfish mistakes”, some that “he’s learnt from, some obviously not”.
She added, “A few people are probably thinking I am stupid for staying in my marriage.
I am not stupid, I know my own mind and it’s something I want to try and work on.”
Despite the humiliation he has brought on her, fellow WAG Lizzie Cundy tells Closer that Coleen’s fears that her former friend Rebekah may have betrayed her trust cut even deeper. Lizzie, who was married to former Chelsea footballer Jason Cundy for 18 years and first met Coleen at the 2006 World Cup in Germany, says there is a strict code among WAGS and the first rule is to look out for each other.
UNSPOKEN PACT
She says, “Some people might be surprised at how Coleen has reacted given that she’s forgiven Wayne so often in the past. But when you’re married to footballers, there’s an almost unspoken rule that you must look after each other. When a WAG goes to the loo at a party, other girls would always try to chat up your husband, so the other WAGs had to have your back – to stick together.
“I think that’s why the whole thing has been so hurtful for Coleen and feels like a betrayal. She may have dealt with other scandals with Wayne over the years more privately, but if she feels like she’s been betrayed by Rebekah, she’ll want to fight tooth and nail to get justice.
“Coleen is a strong woman – she’s not going to back down. Her family are her world, she’s gone through a lot and wants to prove a point. If someone has been leaking personal stories about them, she’s going to do all she can to get to the truth and stop it happening again.
“In the past there have been scandals with Wayne and she hasn’t seemed to have reacted – she put one statement out but she hasn’t pursued it as hard as she has with this situation with Becky. Whoever had been leaking these false stories were intruding on Coleen’s family life and she’d had enough – she didn’t want to just sit back and let it continue to happen.
“I just wish I could have sat them both down and had them talk it through. It’s not going to end any time soon – I just hope the truth eventually comes out and everyone can move on.”
Meanwhile, insiders tell Closer that the bitter war could drag on for a year if proceedings are issued, as the courts deal with a backlog of cases caused by lockdown – which is sparking alarm bells for husband Wayne, who’s worried about the effect the strain could have on Coleen, as well as the financial cost, which could run into six figures.
A source says, “It’s all very complicated, but Coleen won’t drop it, she feels she can’t back down now. From day one, she was always under the impression that her decision to go public was based on solid grounds. Then, a couple of weeks ago, the lawyers started making negative noises. But so far as Coleen is concerned, she simply wants to win this case and put it all behind her, and she won’t hear otherwise. The way things are going, this could drag on for many months now, and Coleen has been warned it could even still be going next year.
The court system is in chaos.”
STRESSED STRESSE
The source adds, “Wayne is worried about the impact a messy legal fight could have on Coleen and their family. They’ve had a lot of time to think during lockdown and have been spending more time together than ever before, and are happy – he doesn’t want to see that undone by a long legal fight. He hates seeing Coleen so stressed and, at times, consumed by this. He’s told her he is worried for her well-being and the pressure it could put on them with a big court case, and can’t bear the thought of it creating tension at home when they’ve been so happy lately. But Coleen just won’t hear it, she is determined to go on and hold her head high.” By Daisy McLure
THERE’S A RULE THAT WAGS LOOK OUT FOR EACH OTHER – THAT’S WHY IT’S SO HURTFUL