People now cash in on footballers’ wives fight
MUGS, T-SHIRTS AND GREETING CARDS ARE FOR SALE ONLINE
DOZENS of “Wagatha Christie” items are for sale online as people cash in on the footballers’ wives battle between Rebekah Vardy and Coleen Rooney.
In a social media announcement that earned her the nickname, Coleen accused Rebekah of leaking stories about her to the newspapers, resulting in Rebekah suing Coleen for libel.
Now, Wagatha Christie merchandise including mugs, greeting cards and T-shirts are for sale on sites including eBay and Amazon, and the mini-industry has been mentioned in Rebekah’s court documents about how the accusation has affected her.
The court documents also claim Coleen, 34, wife of former Man United star Wayne, knew Rebekah was “heavily pregnant” but went ahead when it was “obvious” she would “receive extreme abuse and hostility” as a result of the “public outing”.
Rebekah, 38, who is married to Leicester City striker Jamie, claims that 14 months on, she is still haunted by the fallout from the accusation.
She is suing Coleen for £1 million in libel damages, claiming that interest in the case was “sustained and continued” among “all sections of the public”.
The mum-of-five, who is in training to star in the new series of Dancing On
Ice, said that the interest in what was happening was shown by the “various Wagatha Christie merchandise that can now be purchased including mugs, T-shirts and greeting cards”.
Various items are for sale on Amazon and eBay, including a £17.99 T-shirt, a mug for £8.49 and a flag for sale for £9.66 with the words “It’s….. Rebekah Vardy’s account”.
There is no suggestion that Coleen invented the nickname for the row, nor has had anything to do with the production of any of the merchandise.
Rebekah claims in documents filed at court that the investigation which spawned it was “flawed”, and that her rival had reached a “false conclusion” and “rushed to publication without properly considering the evidence or making any further inquiry”.
In earlier court filings, Rebekah claimed the big reveal of Coleen’s allegation – “deliberately” posted on Coleen’s Instagram, Twitter and Facebook pages – was “designed” for “maximum impact”.