Verdict in £3m Wagatha Christie trial will be announced TOMORROW: High Court judge set to give ruling on three-year long libel battle between Coleen Rooney and Rebekah Vardy at midday
- The libel trial between Coleen Rooney and Rebekah Vardy gripped the nation
- Mrs Vardy accused Mrs Rooney of libel at a two-week High Court hearing in May
- Both women gave dramatic testimony during the multi-million pound libel trial
- The judge, Mrs Justice Steyn, is expected to reveal her verdict at midday Friday
The long-awaited verdict in the sensational £3m Wagatha Christie trial will be released tomorrow, according to Ministry of Justice sources.
The judge in the three-year-long libel case, Mrs Justice Steyn, is expected to hand down her bombshell verdict around midday in a remote hearing.
The packed two-week hearing at the High Court in May saw both Rebekah Vardy, 40, and Coleen Rooney, 36, give dramatic testimony from the witness box in the case which centred on Coleen’s claims that Rebekah had leaked information to the Sun based on posts from her private Instagram account.
The trial lifted the lid on the Wags’ glamorous lifestyles, but also heard allegations levelled at Rebekah from Coleen that she had colluded with the media in secret deals.
Rebekah Vardy (right) sued Coleen Rooney (left) for defamation after Coleen suggested Rebekah might be behind the leaks – something Rebekah has always denied
Rebekah Vardy, pictured with her husband Jamie, right, is to be the subject of a major new BBC drama on the Wagatha Christie trial
During a High Court hearing in May, evidence about the world of the WAGs emerged and Rebekah, 40 – who is married to Leicester City star Jamie Vardy – admitted that her agent Caroline Watt may have been the source of the leaks
Mother-of-five Rebekah broke down several times in the witness box as she detailed the horrific attacks she had been subject to – while heavily pregnant – on social media from Coleen’s supporters following the bombshell accusation in October 2019.
Coleen had earned the nickname ‘Wagatha Christie’ after her famous social media post revealed she had set up a sting operation by limiting her Instagram posts to only one recipient…Rebekah’s account.
Private Instagram posts Rooney alleged were shared with the press without her permission included a visit to a gender selection clinic in Mexico, her planned return to TV and a flooded basement in her new mansion.
Quickly grabbing the public’s attention, the case was dubbed Wagatha Christie in homage to the world-famous British crime novelist Agatha Christie.
In June 2020, Rebekah began a libel action against Coleen, arguing that the accusation over her Instagram account was false.
Following an earlier ‘meanings’ ruling, it fell to Coleen to prove Rebekah was personally responsible for leaking stories to The Sun, or convince the judge that publication of the allegation was in the public interest
Rebekah claimed that Coleen’s famous ‘…It’s Rebekah Vardy’s account’ post, published while she (Rebekah) was pregnant, cost her a book deal and an endorsement for placenta capsules, while also acting as a lightning rod for people to abuse her on social media.
Following the nine-day hearing, Coleen was said to be extremely confident she would win, even missing the last day of the case to go on holiday to Dubai with her husband, former England and Manchester United striker Wayne and their four sons.
Mrs Vardy was also accused by Mrs Rooney’s lawyer, David Sherborne, of deliberately destroying evidence – which she furiously denied
A source said: ‘The programme will tell the story about Coleen and Rebekah. It is expected to look very much at the social media aspect of it and how Rebekah was trolled by others. ‘It will have a very worthy approach and will feature members of the Vardy camp and, hopefully, Rebekah. The BBC have already commissioned it and filming is due to start in the coming weeks’
In her absence, her barrister, David Sherborne, described Rebekah as a ‘highly unreliable witness’ while accusing her of lying to the court in her testimony.
The mother-of-five told friends that while the trial has been a painful experience, she was glad to the public now know ‘the truth’ and also believed she will win.
Coleen, whose husband Wayne is England’s all-time top goal scorer, claims the post was a ‘last resort’ after coming to the conclusion someone was leaking information about her to The Sun, but has defended it as being true.
If Rebekah wins, she will likely be awarded damages, but the judge could decide to award as little as £1 in a token victory. But the much larger expense would be legal costs.
Usually the loser pays both sides’ legal costs, which estimated at around £3m would be a not insignificant expense for either woman.
But they would hit Rebekah much harder, as her net worth with husband Leicester City striker Jamie, is estimated at around £12m, whereas by contrast, the Rooneys’ net worth is estimated to be between £100 and £120m.
The accusations flew thick and fast as the hearing played out in the august surroundings of the Royal Courts of Justice, each side trying to land a fatal blow.
Intimate insights about the Rooneys’ marriage were revealed, Peter Andre’s ‘chipolata’ manhood was even dragged into the proceedings and the court heard about a mysterious celebrity love triangle.
Court battle set to be dramatised on TV
A two-part dramatic reconstruction which will use verbatim court transcripts is being made by TV production company Chalkboard.
Vardy v Rooney: A Courtroom Drama will juxtapose scenes from the courtroom with analysis from the media.
Actors will play the parts of the main protagonists including Rebekah Vardy, Coleen Rooney, Wayne Rooney, and Jamie Vardy. Casting is yet to be announced.
The programme will be shown on Channel 4, with its director Oonagh Kearney saying: ‘This trial utterly captivated the public with its daily feed of entertaining exchanges and jaw-dropping reveals. But behind this, is a story of two women under constant public scrutiny, fighting for their reputations.’
There could also be a pair of documentaries giving each woman the opportunity to speak out about the lengthy legal battle.
Netflix has signed Coleen up for a documentary, while London-based Curious Films has been commissioned by the BBC to create a programme about Rebekah’s perspective, the Mail on Sunday reports.
Each day as the glamorous mothers entered court, their expensive outfits would be identified and dissected by the fashion police as the trench warfare continued in wood-paneled Court 13.
Wayne Rooney, then manager of Derby County FC, was a steadfast presence at his wife’s side in the front row of the court, though he did appear to be bored much of the time, with a glazed expression.
Jamie Vardy only appeared towards the end of the trial and was not present in court during Rebekah’s gruelling two days’ testimony in the witness box.
Both women have kept busy this summer, taking several family holidays.
On her Instagram Coleen shared a series of touching photos of the family’s Dubai trip, which included swimming with dolphins and relaxing on the beach.
After returning, the Rooneys posed with Ed Sheeran, as they hung out with the superstar backstage at one of his concerts.
At the end of last month Coleen and Wayne were also spotted taking a stroll along the beach while on holiday in Ibiza.
More recently their eldest son Kai, 12, joined his parents at Wimbledon, with Coleen sharing two photos on her Instagram, including a smiling selfie or herself and Wayne.
Workwise, Wayne has signed on again as manager of his old MLS club in Washington, DC United.
Coleen described to the court how she was homesick while living in the States when they moved in 2018 and that she would often cry herself to sleep.
This time, it’s expected she will stay at home in Cheshire with their children.
Like Coleen, Rebekah also got away from it all with a family break after the trial.
In June, she posted photos of her holiday abroad on Instagram as she relaxed with husband and children in an idyllic-looking beach setting.
Dubbing her family ‘my island crew’, Rebekah revealed to her followers how she and her kids have been soaking up the sun and enjoying activities such as snorkelling and bike riding.
‘Having the best adventures with my island crew,’ she captioned a photo of herself and one of her daughters.
She also paid tribute to Jamie on Father’s Day, thanking him for ‘everything you do for us’ and describing him as the most ‘incredible daddy’.
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