‘Wagathie Christie’ libel case battle wait

REBEKAH Vardy and Coleen Rooney now face a wait to find out who has won their “Wagatha Christie” libel battle after the high-profile trial finished.

In a viral social media post in October 2019, Mrs Rooney, 36, said she had carried out a “sting operation” and accused Mrs Vardy, 40, of leaking “false stories” about her private life to the press.

The wife of former England star Wayne Rooney publicly claimed Mrs Vardy’s account was the source behind three fake stories she had posted on her private Instagram account.

Mrs Vardy, who is married to Leicester striker Jamie Vardy, denies leaking stories to the media and is suing her fellow footballer’s wife for libel, while Mrs Rooney is defending the claim on the basis her post was “substantially true”.

Mrs Vardy attended the end of the High Court trial yesterday, however Mr and Mrs Rooney did not appear for the first time due to a “longstanding travel arrangement”.

In his closing arguments for the final day of the trial, Mrs Rooney’s barrister, David Sherborne, said the case was “extraordinary”.

Hugh Tomlinson QC, for Mrs Vardy, said the libel battle was a “very simple case” when “one clears away the conspiracy theories”.