It was one of the biggest scandals of 2019 – with a pregnant Rebekah Vardy slamming Coleen Rooney in an explosive rant over their infamous spat, insisting “I thought she was my friend, but she completely annihilated me.’
Now Rebekah has given her first live interview since Coleen Rooneypublicly “outed” her Instagram account as the source of leaked stories about her– something Rebekah has denied – with the WAG even claiming the stress she suffered was only eclipsed by childhood trauma she endured at the hands of her abusive stepfather.
Opening up on Loose Women about the fallout from the so-called WAGatha Christie scandal, a tearful Rebekah – who gave birth to her fifth child, Olivia, last month – said, “It was really, really hard. It is probably up there with one of the worst things that I have had to deal with, apart from being abused when I was younger.”
The 37-year-old wife of Leicester City striker Jamie Vardy described the vicious trolling in the aftermath of the row as “the worst part for me and my family”, going on to describe how the stress put her in hospital three times.
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In a dramatic twist, Coleen then waded back into the row. After sharing a picture of her cuddling sons Kit, four, and Cass, one, she released a statement via her representative saying, “Coleen has nothing to add to what she has already said. She remains confident in the legal process and sees no reason to take the numerous opportunities that have been offered to engage in further public debate on this matter.”
Fans were quick to slam Rebekah 37, with one saying, “Ms Vardy is disingenuous – wipes her eyes, sniffs but never sheds a single tear.” Another added, “She’s just looking pathetic at the moment.” And, “That was a bit strong, Becky, comparing your tiff with Coleen to sexual abuse.” In contrast, support grew for Coleen, as one said, “Good on Coleen. Very dignified.” Another added, “Coleen wins again”.
The drama has already been compared to a storyline in the popular TV drama Footballers’ Wives. Initially Coleen was praised for her detective skills, earning the nickname WAGatha Christie for planting fake stories to see which friend’s Instagram account had seen them. But in an unexpected turn of events, many fans and celebrities, including Robbie Williams, jumped to Rebekah’s defence. She was bombarded with offers for work, landed a TV Christmas special testing children’s toys with Phillip Schofield alongside husband Jamie, and added 50,000 Instagram followers.
CHECK OUT the UK's greatest WAGs - 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.
Insiders say Coleen feels relieved now that things are a bit more balanced.
A source says, “Coleen was stunned that Rebekah went on TV to give the interview. She doesn’t understand the timing and thinks she is doing it to try to reinvent herself and get a slot on Loose Women.
“Coleen is, in some ways, relieved that the public have spoken out against Rebekah. She certainly doesn’t wish her any harm, but is reassured that everyone doesn’t hate her and it’s less one-sided.”
But another source says Rebekah is staying strong too, insisting, “Rebekah isn’t paying too much attention to the comments online – it doesn’t even compare to what she got before. She just wants to fight her corner and share her side, and if she can come out on top after all of this, then all the better.”
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As Closer recently reported, Coleen had regrets over how things turned out, and was envious of Rebekah having a baby girl and a footballer husband at the top of his game.
However, recent reports claim her husband Wayne has given up alcohol and, as a result, their 11-year marriage is “stronger than ever”. Closer previously reported the footballer, 34, was taking drastic action to prove to his wife he wanted to change following a string of alcohol-related incidents, including his drink-drive shame with party girl Laura Simpson in 2017.
A source says, “Coleen knows Wayne is no angel, but since he’s come back to the UK, she’s surprised by how he’s stuck to his promises. He’s powered through just to show how serious he is about the marriage and their family. Coleen is thrilled and feels if Wayne continues to stay on the straight and narrow she’ll be back on top as Queen of the WAGs.”
Read more in this week's Closer mag, out now