Coleen Rooney’s new documentary gives her account of one of the biggest tabloid stories in recent years and the thrilling court battle that followed.
The wife of ex-England footballer Wayne Rooney accused Rebekah Vardy of leaking stories from her private Instagram account to The Sun newspaper.
Vardy, whose husband is Leicester City striker Jamie Vardy, denied the allegation and brought Rooney to trial for libel – but she lost the case and was to pay her rival up to £1.5m in legal fees.
Here, Sky News looks at five things we learn from Coleen Rooney: The Real Wagatha Story, which is out on Disney+ today.
Rooney suspected leaks as early as 2017
As early as 2017, when her husband Wayne was arrested for drink-driving, Rooney suspected an Instagram follower was leaking information to The Sun newspaper.
She said she first realised stories about her came from her private Instagram after a caption underneath a photograph of her three oldest children was included in an article.
The story came as Rooney had been staying at her parents’ house in Liverpool while she struggled with the state of her marriage.
Rebekah Vardy lost her libel case against Coleen Rooney
Rooney said the leaking made her “angry”, telling the documentary: “I thought, ‘I’ve had enough of this. I’m going to do something about it’.
“Part of me wanted to say something there and then, but the way it had been done to me, it was so sneaky. It was cheeky.
“No one had come to me to say, ‘We’re going to give this information to the press, are you okay about that?’
“I’d warned time and time again to stop doing this to me, but they never. I didn’t pick up the phone to Rebekah because she’d never respected me in that way, and she’d deny it and make a story out of that.
“I didn’t want to give her the opportunity to do that. She’d done it too many times to me. I felt the only way I could do this was to put it on social media, give it to everyone at the one time and put a stop to it.”
Last-minute change to her famous court wardrobe
Coleen Rooney wore a protective boot during the trial due to a foot injury
Rooney and Vardy’s impressive outfit selection during the trial attracted much attention.
Rooney insists there was “no thinking” about her court wardrobe because she found the trial tough mentally – but she did face one last-minute emergency.
She thought her medical boot to treat her foot injury would be off by the time of the trial so she said she “had to run to the tailors to get pants taken up” last minute.
She also said she mainly used clothes she already owned, saying: “I wasn’t going to spend a fortune on a court wardrobe – I went on holiday straight after and I’d prefer to spend it on that.”
Wayne Rooney considered studying law after trial
In the documentary, Rooney’s lawyers said her husband Wayne was “fascinated” by the legal battle – so much so he considered studying law.
“It was interesting because I do like crime documentaries, and in particular the different techniques that two barristers use,” the former Manchester United striker said.
Rooney said her husband started “suggesting legal arguments” to the lawyers but she told him to “shut up” and “let the lawyers speak”.
“He was then going to apply for law school and he had all these plans,” Rooney said.
Wayne Rooney has undergone a vasectomy
Rooney reveals in the documentary that her husband “got the snip” after their fourth child was born.
“I always thought I’d have a few kids, maybe three at the most,” she said.
“And then number four came along and we knew our family was complete. Then me and Wayne talked about him having a vasectomy. He said, ‘After this baby, we’re not having any more’.
“And Wayne went in and got the snip. So I knew for sure we wouldn’t have any more children.”
The couple have four children together; Kai, 13, Klay, 10, seven-year-old Kit and five-year-old Cass.
Rooney describes pain of losing sister who died aged 14
Pic: Ben Blackall/Disney+
Rooney’s parents adopted a daughter named Rosie when she was 17 months old.
Rosie had a rare genetic disorder called Rett which affects brain development and causes severe mental and physical disability.
She died aged 14 in 2013.
Read more:
Rooney ‘sticks by’ Wagatha Christie post
First look at pictures from Coleen Rooney’s documentary
Someone’s trademarked ‘Wagatha Christie’ – it’s… Rebekah Vardy
“When Rosie came along, she was a massive part of our life,” Rooney said.
“She was a sister that I never thought I was going to have. I used to do her hair and loved picking clothes with my mum for her. She brought that little bit extra to the house. We fell in love with her.
“She struggled. She couldn’t walk and couldn’t talk and would be in pain and sick but still would put a smile on her face. She sometimes used to force a laugh out and I think it was just to make my mum and dad happy.
“Gradually her brain wasn’t functioning so she couldn’t eat any more. Couldn’t crawl, move.
“To lose a child is the worst thing that could ever happen to anyone, but when you look back now, she gave us so many good years of happiness and love.”
