The so-called “WAGatha Christie” scandal has been raging on for a year now, but this Thursday marks a huge turning point in Coleen Rooney and Rebekah Vardy’s epic fallout, as their legal teams face each other for the first time at a preliminary hearing.
The meeting will determine whether there is enough evidence for the case to continue until next year. On 19 November, lawyers are scheduled to meet to discuss the true meaning behind Coleen’s Tweet over a year ago, in which she accused Rebekah’s Instagram account of leaking information about her.
They will decide if Coleen’s post was defamatory and what exactly the words she used could mean and whether Rebekah has grounds to sue.
And the case has become increasingly vicious on both sides. When Coleen, 34, filed her defence last month, her team rehashed the embarrassing incident where Rebekah gave an interview in 2001 claiming to have slept with Peter Andre, sharing intimate details of their night and comparing his manhood to a “miniature chipolata”.
The incident was an indication that there’s no limit to how far back Coleen’s lawyers might delve into the past if they have reason to believe Rebekah had sold stories on people.
And dad-of-four Pete, 47, is only one of many celebrity names who could inadvertently be dragged into the WAG war. As Closer recently reported, Man United footballer Harry McGuire’s fiancé, Fern Hawkins, and Spurs player Dele Alli’s girlfriend, Ruby Mae, are reportedly “freaking out”.
Media litigation lawyer Caroline Kean draws comparisons with Johnny Depp’s defamation case against a British newspaper, which he lost last week – with A-listers including his ex-partner Vanessa Paradis, and former flames Winona Ryder and Kate Moss all dragged into the messy proceedings.
Coleen has been on the WAG circuit longer than most, after first meeting husband Wayne as childhood sweethearts before mixing with the likes of Cheryl Cole, Elen Rivas, and Posh during the 2006 World Cup – any of whom can be named and called upon during the upcoming case.
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.
Caroline explains, “Although it’s often hard to tell at this stage, people will only get dragged into it if they’re relevant – you can’t just call anybody. But if the judge rules that the true ‘meaning’ behind the Tweet is that Rebekah sells stories to the newspapers on a regular basis, then Coleen would have to prove she has done it several times.”
Caroline continues, “Coleen’s lawyers could be contacting other celebrities and WAGs, even those who were on the WAG scene going back years, including perhaps Victoria Beckham and Cheryl, to see if they could help her case.”
Coleen’s searing defence statement, released last month, reveals how she aims to prove Rebekah is a “serial leaker”, with a “habitual practice of passing on private information” to the media regarding her private life. She also alleged that Rebekah was The Sun newspaper’s Secret Wag columnist.
Screenshots of the false Instagram stories Coleen released on her own social media as a “trap” – including a gender selection in Mexico, and a flood in the basement of her new house – have also been published. Coleen claims only Rebekah’s own personal account had “seen” them.
But Caroline warns that if Coleen is hoping to bring other big names into the court room to use as evidence for her case against Rebekah, she could be playing a risky game.
“The problem for Coleen, is that they can refuse to help her. You can in theory summon them, but you can only do that if you can show that they have relevant information to give. Coleen can’t just drag every WAG into the witness box.”
Rebekah initially slammed Coleen as “disgusting” for trying to publicly shame her in their toxic feud. And now insiders say Rebekah is confident that she will win her case against Coleen – even signing up to Dancing On Ice and posting happy family shots on social media to show that she’s thriving.
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And Caroline warns that a High Court case could cost Coleen not just Rebekah’s £200,000 claim, but her reputation if the court rules in her rival’s favour.
Caroline says, “Losing any court case is damaging, but this could backfire on Coleen – she could be shown as wrong and spiteful. Coleen is used to being in the headlines, but a case like this in the courtroom can also cause high levels of stress. It’s an incredibly stressful situation for everyone involved. Rebekah has brought the case, so the hard work will be down to Coleen’s team to prove the claims Coleen made in her Tweet are true. Rebekah doesn’t have to prove anything.”
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