Rebekah’s ‘benefits for leaking stories on Coleen to paper’
REBEKAH Vardy “benefitted” from leaking stories about fellow football Wag Coleen Rooney to a newspaper, the High Court heard yesterday.
Rebekah, 39, wife of Leicester striker Jamie Vardy, allegedly had the “habitual practice” of providing private details due to an “exceptionally close” link to The Sun newspaper.
The timing of the tabloid’s “positive coverage” about Rebekah was “strikingly close” to publication of leaked details about 35-year-old Coleen, wife of ex-England captain Wayne, it was alleged.
The claims, vehemently denied by Rebekah, were made at the court in London in part of a battle that has cost the women £897,000 so far.
Rebekah launched a libel action after she was accused of being an Instagram mole by
Coleen, who was then dubbed “Wagatha Christie”. Hugh Tomlinson, QC, for Rebekah, applied to dismiss parts of Coleen’s defence, which include “benefits” Rebekah is said to have received.
Mr Tomlinson denied his application was designed to save Rebekah from embarrassment, saying it was an effort “to save time and costs”.
He also refuted a suggestion
Rebekah is the woman behind the “Secret Wag” gossip column on The Sun’s website.
David Sherborne, for Coleen, opposed Mr Tomlinson’s bid and claimed Rebekah used her close relationship with journalists “for the purposes of promoting or financially exploiting her public profile”.
Mrs Justice Steyn will give her ruling at a later date.