Not just a wife, Coleen can score her own goals...
THE trailer for a new Wayne Rooney documentary is out this week. And, as someone who loves sports films, I can’t wait to watch the whole thing.
It features big names from the world of football – Becks, Thierry Henry and Gary Neville to name a few.
But the person who’s received the most attention, even though she only says a few sentences, is Wayne’s wife Coleen.
In the film, out on Amazon Prime next year, she speaks for the first time about her husband’s past troublesome behaviour, and makes the frank admission: “I forgive him, but it wasn’t acceptable.”
Her words have predictably sent the internet into a tizz. For her sake I hope she’s avoiding the comments.
So many people are having a go at her for putting up with Wayne’s cheating and drunken behaviour. She’s been called a doormat and worse. Others have accused her of being a gold-digger. That’s just ridiculous. Coleen has known Wayne since she was 12 and been with him since she was 16. If she were to divorce him she’d be financially set for life.
She’s been through a humiliating and horrible experience – more than once
– but is she really going to throw everything away for a few drunken fumbles?
Many people say she should. They see her as someone who is too weak to leave.
What I see is a woman who has the strength to stay – goodness knows I don’t think I could – and someone who clearly puts motherhood and family first.
I’ve met Coleen a number of times on the showbiz scene. She’s no shy, retiring wallflower. She’s definitely got a mouth on her and there was no doubt who ruled the roost in their house.
But I often wondered if she was built for a life in the spotlight.
Unlike other high-profile WAGs, she’s
not a singer or a model, and hasn’t had much of a career out of Wayne’s shadow.
She’s clearly a devoted mother to her four boys but she’s still, at 35, a young woman with her whole life ahead of her. As mums, we have a tendency to put ourselves last and put things we want to do on hold for our family’s sake. We grin and bear it as we fear it will all fall apart if we don’t.
Would things have been the same if the kids were older and ready to fly the coop? Maybe not. But I hope she doesn’t wait until then to spread her wings and carve out her own identity.
Wayne says he would like to be remembered for who he is and not what he’s done. I’d like Coleen to remember she’s so much more than a wife and mum.
We saw a spark of something different with the Wagatha Christie saga – her attempt to track down the source of leaked stories – she’s smart with a wicked sense of humour. Maybe a couple of detective novels would be a great start.
We saw a spark with the Wagatha Christie saga... she’s smart