A sensational "war of the WAGs" erupted last week when Coleen Rooney dramatically pointed the finger at Rebekah Vardy amid allegations of someone betraying her by selling stories to the press.
Her Twitter post – which detailed how she had investigated her suspicions by muting all of her private Instagram followers except Rebekah’s account – went viral, creating headlines around the world and leading her to be dubbed "Wagatha Christie" in reference to the crime writer famed for her detective plot lines.
Heavily-pregnant Rebekah,who was on holiday in Dubai with footballer hubby Jamie at the time, fiercely denied the claims, publicly asking Coleen why she hadn’t called to put the claims to her before going public.
Rebekah later spoke out in an interview, revealing the pair spoke on the phone soon after the drama exploded. She said, "It was not an easy phone call. She said to me, 'I’m not pointing the finger', and I said, 'You have just annihilated me in public and hung me out to dry. The whole world hates me!'"
Their gripping feud quickly escalated into a wider divide within the world of footballers' wives, with side-taking and mud-slinging. Danielle Lloyd, who was married to former Spurs star Jamie O’Hara, waded in by branding Rebekah a "rat", but she quickly hit back that Danielle was only bitter because she hadn’t helped set her up with a footballer.
Women's England football star Toni Duggan said she was appalled at what Coleen had been through, branding it "disgusting", while Chantelle Heskey, wife of Wayne’s former England teammate Emile, also sided with Coleen.
Surprisingly, Coleen also found an unlikely ally in Helen Wood – the escort who had enjoyed a threesome with Waynewhile Coleen was pregnant with their first son, Kai, in 2009. She called Rebekah a "snake in the grass."
But Rebekah was supported by Nicola McLean, wife of ex-QPR player Tom Williams, who refuted the accusation stories were leaked by her friend and said Coleen was wrong to deal with it publicly. As the drama grew, Lizzie Cundy – who last week split from boyfriend Jeremy Gordeno and was previously married to ex Chelsea and Spurs footballer Jason until 2010 – told Closer that this "level of bitchiness" is not unusual in their world.
Lizzie, 50, says, "Everyone has this idea that being married to a footballer is so glamorous – nice cars, big houses, designer bags – but the ugly truth is that it’s so competitive that it breeds paranoia, rivalry and jealousy between the wives, even more so than the players on the pitch.
"Imagine if your husband isn’t as big a star as his teammate, and it’s the teammate who is getting all the praise, the money and the fame... While in a normal job, you probably don’t know your husband’s office dynamics, but in football, your husband’s job is being played out in front of the cameras every week. It is literally like being on your own TV show because there are cameras on you as the wife, too."
CHECK OUT: the WAGs of 2006 - where are they now?
The UK Wags - where are they now?
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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.
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Old reports dating back to Euro 2016 also re-emerged last week, of a falling-out between Coleen and Rebekah’s husbands Wayne and Jamie, after Rebekah wrote a newspaper column slamming French police for treating the wives like "caged animals" during the tournament. Team captain Wayne allegedly "warned" Jamie over his wife’s controversial comments bringing negative press.
And according to Lizzie, what happens between the men on the pitch filters down to the wives, too. "Football is not a job, it’s your whole life, so when your husband has rivalry or a feud with another player, then you as a wife can’t really be loyal or a friend to the other player’s wife.
"There’s no sentiment in football. It’s about making money, having power, and of course, the more famous your partner is, the more famous you are. It gets obsessive. I’ve seen one footballer’s wife being gifted a new car and the next day, another wife scratching it down the side. I’ve even heard of one WAG putting laxatives in the dinner of her husband’s biggest rival teammate so he couldn’t play in a big game the next day."
Lizzie is friends with both Rebekah and Coleen, and says she’s offered to play mediator – but she suspects their friendship is now irreparable, especially after Rebekah hit back at Coleen in the interview days after the allegations, saying, "Arguing with Coleen is like arguing with a pigeon. You can tell it that you’re right and that it is wrong, but it is still going to s--t in your hair."
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Lizzie is also pals with Danielle and, explaining her bitterness towards Rebekah, said, "In football, you’re all thrown into the same circle but that doesn’t mean that everyone is the same and that they have a bond.
"Some of them are desperate for fame, which can cause tension and mistrust. But that’s why it is so strange that this has all stemmed from Coleen’s bombshell tweet, because in reality, Coleen hates being in the spotlight and craves a quiet life.
"She’s a sweet girl and more clever than people give her credit for – but I guess that’s why she’s done it this way, because people will see she’s not a pushover and it will make everyone think twice before they cross her. What I do know is that she wouldn’t have posted this if she wasn’t 100 per cent sure that it came from Rebekah’s account, and she would have got lawyers in to back it up before she posted it."
You can read more celebrity news in this week's Closer magazine - out now.