Coleen Rooney was praised by fans last week for giving them a glimpse inside the chaos of her life as she shared hilarious footage of her four sons taking turns to flip pancakes before school, with one having a tantrum, as she attempted to plaster on a smile.
The mum-of four, 36, has been solo parenting her four sons – Kai, 13, Klay, nine, Kit, seven, and Cass, five – while her husband of 15 years, ex-footballer Wayne Rooney, 37, manages soccer team D.C. United in Washington.
And while Coleen has successfully managed to juggle both Kit and Cass’ birthdays over the last fortnight, an insider says the busy mum is “determined” to make their arrangement work – urging Wayne to pursue his goals following his unwavering support during her legal battle with Rebekah Vardy last year.
The source says, “Coleen is doing the best she can under the circumstances. Obviously it’s not ideal for your husband to be working thousands of miles away when you’re at home holding the fort and looking after the kids.
“But after how amazing Wayne was with the Wagatha Christie saga and standing by Coleen throughout it all, she feels she’s got no choice but to be completely supportive. This is his dream, so she’s determined to make it work.”
The whole family had previously relocated to the US in 2018 when Wayne was playing for the same team between 2018 and 2020.
However, the couple, who have endured their fair share of public scandals over Wayne’s infidelity, struggled Stateside after he was photographed downing shots on a 10-hour bender with a barmaid in February 2019.
Two months prior to the pictures surfacing, he had also been arrested for being drunk at a US airport.
And after Coleen revealed she hated life away from family and friends, the couple made the decision not to uproot their family from their Cheshire mansion this time around, with Wayne returning to the UK at the end of each soccer season.
The mum-of-four was previously reported to have recruited a family member to fly out with Wayne and keep an eye on him. But despite the high-drama and stress of the court trial, the rumours quickly dispersed when the couple, who wed in 2008, appeared the strongest they have ever been as a doting Wayne dutifully remained by his wife’s side throughout.
The source now confirms that Coleen has confidence and new-found trust in Wayne since she set strict boundaries and rules for him to follow while he’s away.
The insider says, “There is a niggle of worry for Coleen. As much as she is giving Wayne the green light for his career, she’s laid down some serious rules for him to follow so that he behaves himself and doesn’t let himself be tempted to betray her again.
“Coleen knows it’s important to let off steam, but when Wayne goes out, she makes sure she knows who he’s with so if anything goes wrong, she can swoop in via text or FaceTime to see what’s happening. Under no circumstances is he allowed to be out drinking alone in the US.
“Wayne has a history of getting into trouble and he’s extremely conscious and doesn’t want to play with fire or let anything happen like that again. So he’s happily agreeing to it because he knows he has to set an example to his children.”
Meanwhile, the insider says the couple are also working on keeping the spark in their marriage alive by sharing daily FaceTimes, and ensuring that he flies back to the UK at any opportunity.
It comes two years after Wayne reportedly joked at a Soccer Aid party that he and Coleen “had not had sex for ages” – which is said to have left Coleen publicly humiliated.
During their documentary, Rooney, last year, Coleen tearfully revealed she had “moved on” but hadn’t “accepted” Wayne’s 2002 visits to a Liverpool brothel, where he later confessed to having sex with prostitutes.
Now the insider adds, “They both give one another a full report of what’s been going on, which is another rule. It’s not that she doesn’t trust him, she just thinks communication is key to a loving relationship.
“It’s not easy being separated and there are times when Coleen feels really upset and misses him like crazy. Some of their family and friends worry about him getting up to no good again, but Coleen is adamant that things are different now. Especially after the public battle with Becky, everything feels more out in the open. But Coleen is making it work and she feels confident she won’t be betrayed again.”
