Despite shooting to fame as one of the original WAGs alongside the likes of Posh and Cheryl Cole in 2006, Coleen Rooney has stayed close to the same circle of friends she’s had since school.
But in recent months, the notoriously private WAG has broadened her friendship group – growing close to former Hollyoaks actress and Primrose Hill party girl Davinia Taylor, former TOWIE star and WAG Georgina Cleverley and The Real Housewives Of Cheshire’s Lystra Adams and Tanya Bardsley, who have all become part of her inner network and been welcomed into the mum of four’s private Instagram account.
And while Coleen, 35, has been enjoying swanky soirées and girls’ nights out with her new crew, insiders say that since her bitter fallout with her former friend and fellow WAG Rebekah Vardy – in which she accused her of leaking stories about her, which Becky denies – she has felt increasingly lonely.
Check out: from Cheryl to Coleen Rooney - where are the 2006 WAGS now?
The UK Wags - where are they now? - slider
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1 of 9Victoria Beckham
One half of the indestructible Beckham brand, Victoria was the original Queen WAG in 2006. At the time Victoria had been married to David for seven years and had just given birth to her third boy, Cruz. She had also just launched her denim line, dvb Style and walked the catwalk for Roberto Cavalli. Over a decade later, she is a fully fledged and well respected fashion designer, with a fourth addition to her brood – the adorable Harper.
2 of 9Coleen Rooney
Coleen rose to fame as a WAG at just 20 years old. Coleen and Wayne are married and they celebrated their ten-year anniversary in 2018. However, Wayne's repeated cheating has strained the relationship over the years. They have four children together, Kai, Klay, Kit and Cass. Since 2006 Coleen has released a fitness DVD, been a style advisor for Littlewoods and even had a column with us in Closer magazine.
3 of 9Cheryl
How could we forget Cheryl as a WAG? Back then, 23-year-old Cheryl was a popstar in Girls Aloud who had just married Ashley Cole. Nowadays, Cheryl is a household name and a worldwide celebrity in her own right. After splitting from Ashley in 2010, she had a successful (well, successful-ish) solo career, was a judge on The X Factor and was the face of beauty brand L'Oreal. She married Jean-Bernard Fernandez-Versini in 2016 but they divorced three months later. Most recently, Cheryl separated from One Direction singer, Liam Payne, who she has a baby son called Bearwith.
4 of 9Abbey Clancy
Abbey first grabbed our attention in 2006 as one of the finalists in Britain's Next Top Model. She began dating Peter Crouch that same year and the pair are now married with three kids Sophia Ruby, Liberty Rose and baby Johnny. Lingerie model Abbey went on to win Strictly Come Dancing in 2013 and she returned to Britain's Next Top Model as the show's presenter. Not bad work, eh?
5 of 9Danielle Lloyd
Danielle Lloyd was dating footballer Teddy Sheringham when she gained her WAG status. At the time, her title as Miss Great Britain was a controversial matter and she was later stripped of it. Fast forward to now and Danielle has appeared on TV shows such as Celebrity Big Brother, Total Wipeout, The Weakest Link and even Come Dine With Me. She has three sons, Archie, Harry and George with her now ex-husband Jamie O'Hara. Danielle gave birth to a fourth child with her husband Michael O'Neill, Ronnie, in 2017.
6 of 9Elen Rivas
Elen Rivas was engaged to Frank Lampard at the time of the 2006 World Cup, and was a permanent fixture in the WAG circle. After splitting from Frank after a seven-year relationship, she dated Peter Andre, appeared on Dancing On Ice and now looks after her two daughters Luna and Isla while working as a model. Frank has since married TV presenter Christine Bleakley and they've welcomed their daughter Patricia into the world.
7 of 9Louise Owen
Despite being married to one of the most famous footballers at the time, Louise Owen wasn't your stereotype WAG. She has always managed to keep her distance from the limelight. Her passion is rescuing race horses and she currently lives in Wales with her husband Michael and their four children, Gemma, James, Jessica and Emily.
8 of 9Carly Zucker
Now known as Carly Cole after marrying midfielder Joe Cole in Chelsea in 2009, Carly loved to party during the 2006 World Cup (we know the feeling). She then spent two weeks in the jungle during I'm A Celeb in 2009 before being the third to be booted out. Carly and Joe have had three children, Ruby, Harrison and Max together.
9 of 9Alex Curran
Former nail technician Alex Curran began dating Liverpool player Steven Gerrard in 2002. She was one of the leading figures in the 2006 WAG squad. The pair married in 2007 and they have had four children together, Lexie, Lio, Lord, Lilly-Ella. Fashion lover Alex has released a perfume, fronted a Lipsy campaign and written a weekly shopping column for a national newspaper.
After a bitter two-year legal battle – with Becky suing her nemesis for libel – the arch-rivals are now set to face each other in April for a courtroom showdown.
And as their trial looms, sources say Coleen is finding it hard to get close to people. A source says, “Coleen was just a 16- year-old schoolgirl when she was thrust into the spotlight as Wayne’s girlfriend, and she learned very quickly that she could only trust a few people because she felt some people only wanted to be friends with her just because of who she is.
“She may be queen of the WAGs, but she is very private and it was her mistrust in people that started her feud with Rebekah in the first place. Even though Rebekah denies leaking stories, the thought of someone from her close-knit inner circle betraying her has made Coleen even more guarded and finds it hard getting close to people. When the WAGatha scandal kicked off, a lot of their mutual friends and acquaintances were forced to take sides and she felt some distanced themselves from her then.”
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Last August, Coleen’s pal and former WAG Lizzie Cundy – who was married to former England footballer Jason Cundy for 20 years – told Closer how Coleen and Rebekah’s row has “torn friendships apart”, adding, “It has caused huge tensions within my circle of friends. I’ve had fallings-out. I won’t name names but I have had rows with other footballers’ wives. It really has had a knock-on effect.”
Former Closer columnist Coleen has exuded confidence over the last few months – showing off her incredible figure following a lifestyle overhaul and seemingly having “tweakments” such as fillers and facials.
Insiders recently told Closer how Coleen’s makeover and partying was a part of her new vow to put herself first and carve out a new identity after she gave up her successful career as a TV host and fashion-line designer upon becoming a mum in 2009.
And her profile could be set to take off again because, as Closer went to press, her husband Wayne – currently manager at second-tier side Derby – was tipped for the new manager role at Everton – the Premier League club where he made his name at 17.
And his highly anticipated Amazon documentary, Rooney, documenting his life and career is set to receive rave reviews upon its release next week.
In a sneak preview, Coleen admits Wayne’s past behaviour in which he allegedly cheated on her numerous times and was addicted to gambling “wasn’t acceptable” before revealing that she’s forgiven the father of her four children, Kai, 12, Klay, eight, Kit, five and three-year-old Cass.
Yet while their marriage appears to be back on track, insiders say that staying with him during his infidelities has also left Coleen feeling isolated.
The source says, “While Coleen’s life has revolved around Wayne and the boys, she knows some people can’t understand why she has stood by him and that’s left her closing herself off to them.
“On top of that, even though Coleen insists Wayne is super- supportive towards her, he works long hours and his job sometimes takes him away for days on end – he’s even admitted doing lots of overtime recently and sleeping in his office in Derby while she’s at home in Cheshire.
“A lot of the time it’s just her at home alone with the boys. And while she loves the kids dearly, and they are the centre of her world, it is nice to have adult company, especially to offload any emotional strain rather than keeping things bottled up.
“It’s a difficult time for her – with the trial coming up, she knows all eyes will be on her, which is part of the reason she’s had this new image overhaul. But while she’s oozing confidence on the outside, those who know her fear it’s hiding her secret loneliness.”
Joseph James, Mindset coach and founder of Money, Mindset & Strategy, who has worked with numerous celebs, says it’s not uncommon for people in a position like Coleen to be wary of others and in turn leaving themselves feeling lonely.
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Joseph says, “While she seems like someone who ‘has it all’, the truth is Coleen may be feeling a sense of loneliness and isolation and experiencing trust issues because of what she has been through in the past. She will have been surrounded for a long time by some people who want a piece of her, so it’s been important for her to put up boundaries and put her family first.
“It’s natural for Coleen to feel cautious of even those close to her, but I hope she has good people on her team to help her feel safe.
“Lots of people experience trust issues for different reasons. But whether you are in the public eye or not, it’s important to speak to yourself in a kind way and allow yourself to open up and be vulnerable with others.”