It’s been one of the most highly anticipated court battles of recent times and, last week, Rebekah Vardy’s libel case against Coleen Rooney – dubbed the “Wagatha Christie” trial – sparked sensational scenes.
The climax of their two-and-a-half year legal battle saw the wives of top footballers Wayne Rooney and Jamie Vardy finally come face-to-face following Coleen’s infamous October 2019 sleuth mission, in which she publicly accused Rebekah of leaking stories to the tabloids from her private Instagram account.
As a series of bombshells were dropped – with Rebekah, 40, first to take the stand – Coleen, 36, was said to have been furiously writing notes throughout, while husband Wayne looked straight ahead and refused to make eye contact with his wife’s nemesis.
Though the Rooneys arrived at court together each day, with Wayne publicly supporting his wife, Rebekah’s husband Jamie was noticeably absent. The footballer was photographed training with his teammates for Leicester City’s upcoming matches against Watford and Chelsea.
Now a source tells Closer that, despite having had the case hanging over her for so long, Coleen felt confident and relaxed with Wayne at her side throughout, revealing the trial has in fact strengthened their relationship.
“Coleen and Wayne are stronger than ever,” the source says. “The whole thing has been traumatic for her, but knowing Wayne’s there with her and fully supporting her made her feel ten feet tall. He’s been her total rock through the whole thing. He’s given her the strength to be able to cope with all the stress and strain that this case has heaped on her.
“She feels their marriage is the best it’s ever been. They’ve been talking about renewing their vows for a few years now, but this whole situation and the way he’s stepped up has really prompted them to go for it. It’s their 15- year anniversary in 2023 and, after everything, they’re more sure than ever they want to.”
Coleen has stood by Wayne throughout multiple controversies during their 19-year relationship and 14-year marriage.
He infamously cheated on her as his career was taking off in 2004, with reports emerging he’d slept with a prostitute and lapdancer. Then in 2010, it was claimed he’d had sex with Helen Wood and Jenny Thompson – something the pair later spoke out about, publicly heaping humiliation on the loyal mum of four.
In 2017, Wayne was charged with drink-driving after giving a party girl a lift home from a bar while Coleen was on holiday with their children. Since then, he’s had a number of alcohol-related controversies, including being cautioned by the police for being drunk on a plane.
However, Coleen has continually defended him, revealing in the recent Rooney documentary on Amazon Prime, “I wouldn’t be standing here if I hadn’t forgiven him”.
The source says that Coleen feels it’s time now to put the drama of the past behind them and renew their vows.
“Wayne stepped up when she needed him most and he’s been loving and supportive. Once the trial is over, they’re going to crack on with planning their vow renewal.”
The 5 bombshells that rocked the trial
Peter Andre’s manhood
Coleen’s lawyer accused Rebekah of not respecting the privacy of others – drawing attention to a 2004 interview where she’d referred to ex-lover Peter Andre’s manhood as the size of a “chipolata”. Rebekah expressed regret and claimed she was forced by her ex-husband to speak about the one-night-stand – with Pete taking to Instagram last week to talk about his hurt at his personal life being dragged into the drama.
Rebekah’s row with Sarah Harding
Rebekah is said to have come to blows with Sarah Harding at the 2018 National Television Awards after she accused Becky of taking sneaky photos of her with her phone after the Girls Aloud singer, who died last year following a battle with breast cancer, dropped her bag and was scrabbling about picking up the contents.
Feud with Danielle Lloyd
Rebekah’s feud with fellow WAG Danielle Lloyd was discussed, with Coleen’s team holding Rebekah responsible for leaking news Danielle suffered a miscarriage while on honeymoon in the Maldives in 2019. Rebekah admitted she had called Danielle a “nasty b---h” but denied leaking information.
Marriage issues
On the stand, Coleen opened up about her marriage issues, admitting that, after Wayne’s drink-drive arrest with another woman in the car, she “was in a vulnerable position. I didn’t know how my marriage was going to work out.” She claimed Rebekah leaked a now-famous photo of Wayne in pyjamas in bed with their boys, which led to tabloid stories that Coleen had forgiven him.
Rebekah Facetimed Wayne
Rebekah also revealed that she had FaceTimed Wayne during Euro 2016 after stories emerged of him telling Jamie to ask Becky to keep a low profile and he apparently told Becky the story was “b-----ks”. In court, Wayne raised his eyebrows at that revelation.