Her husband was legendary for his talents on the football pitch, but he’s failed to achieve the same success as a manager after being sacked from Birmingham City last month.
But now insiders say that Coleen Rooney is deeply worried about Wayne switching up careers – amid growing rumours that the former England striker could turn his hand to boxing.
A source says, “Coleen knows that Wayne trains hard and that he has always been really into boxing, but she also knows that anyone he takes on in the ring will want to make a name for themselves and knock him out. She’d find that very difficult to watch and the thought of it ever happening is just her worst nightmare.
“Coleen found it hard enough watching Wayne play football, so she’s not sure she would be able to watch him entering a boxing ring.”
Wayne – who was a keen boxer growing up – confirmed last week that he has been in talks with internet sensation KSI’s promotion, Misfits Boxing, to potentially compete in one of their events.
British sports promoter Eddie Hearn even revealed that Wayne, 38, will “fire [him] a message” after every big fight, and added that he would back the former footballer to beat only once-defeated Jake Paul in the ring.
But after Coleen, 37, shared a photo of their sons – Kai, 14, Klay, 10, Kit, eight, and Cass, six – in their home boxing gym captioned, “Not sure the ring was a good idea for Christmas”, a source says that she is also worried about them following their dad’s passion for boxing.
The insider shares, “They totally idolise their dad and are always play-fighting with him. So if Wayne does end up making a name for himself in the ring, the boys may well want to get involved in the sport as well, which would be even harder for Coleen to deal with. Nothing is more important to her than Wayne and the boys, and that they are safe and healthy. Boxing is such a risky sport which makes it a worry for her.”
They add, “Yet, at the same time, she does want to be supportive of Wayne. She’s really proud of how hard he has been working at his boxing training. Since retiring from football, it’s given him a bit of a new focus. He has a gym at home with all the boxing gear in there and she knows it is really good for his wellbeing.”
In 2015, Wayne and his former teammate, Phil Bardsley (husband of Real Housewives of Cheshire's Tanya Bardsley), went viral for a light-hearted and drunken boxing session in the kitchen at the Rooneys’ Cheshire mansion. According to Phil, there was “blood all over the floor” when it culminated with Wayne essentially getting knocked out. And the source adds that despite Wayne answering “never say never” to getting in the ring, Coleen hopes that her husband’s boxing would not stretch to an actual fight in the spotlight.
The source says, “She just wishes he could do the training without having to fight someone at the end of it, because that’s where Wayne could get hurt.”