Vardy wipes away tears in witness box
REBEKAH Vardy became tearful several times in the witness box as she was accused of leaking stories and throwing her agent “under the bus” during her evidence at the High Court.
As part of a high-profile libel claim against Coleen Rooney, Mrs Vardy wiped away tears on multiple occasions as she was cross-examined by Mrs Rooney’s barrister.
On Thursday, Mrs Vardy left the witness box for the third day as she finished being questioned by David Sherborne in what has been dubbed the “Wagatha Christie” case.
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.
Mrs Vardy, who is married to Leicester City 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”.
Cross-examining Mrs Vardy, Mr Sherborne, for Mrs Rooney, said: “Would you not agree, Mrs Vardy, that if it looks like a leak and smells like a leak and you even use the word leak, it is more likely than not to be a leak.”
He added: “So when Mrs Rooney wrote on the 9 October that she was right in suspecting you and your account... She was right, wasn’t she?”
“No, she was wrong,” Mrs Vardy replied.
The barrister referenced that Mrs Vardy’s agent Caroline Watt is not giving oral evidence after it emerged at a hearing in April that she was “not fit” to do so, also withdrawing her written statement.
Mr Sherborne continued: “The journalists you wanted to call knew Caroline Watt was the source and that it came from you but you didn’t want to do the dirty work yourself...That’s why Ms Watt couldn’t face coming to court in the end to have been found to have lied.”
However, Mrs Vardy said: “I think she has been driven to suicidal thoughts by these proceedings and the antics of the defendant.”
Mr Sherborne concluded: “I have to put it to you that it’s not her that betrayed you, as you suggest, it’s you that betrayed her by throwing her under the bus.”
The former Dancing On Ice contestant appeared emotional as she said: “That is not true.”