She’s known as the queen of high-end travel, jetting off around the globe and racking up all the air miles in the process, while showing off her never-ending supply of bikinis. But, in case you hadn’t noticed, Coleen Rooney’s had a change of heart over the past year – preferring to stay local and explore all the UK has to offer with her brood in tow, while their once-cherished passports gather dust.
Yes, it’s partly pandemic-related, of course, but according to insiders, she also wants to change the public perception of her. Apparently, it’s goodbye wasteful WAG… and hello relatable mum-next-door.
“Coleen really wants to show the public that she’s a down-to-earth, everyday person,” says an insider close to the 35 year old, who recently took her and husband Wayne’s four sons – Kai, 11, Klay, eight, Kit, five, and three-year-old Cass – for an adventure-packed day to Blackpool Pleasure Beach.
“She knows that people think they throw their money around. And, at a time when many people are struggling to make ends meet, she wants to remind everyone that she’s not living on another planet to her fans – especially with the court case still going on.”
As readers will know, the 35 year old is at war with arch-rival Rebekah Vardy, who’s suing Coleen for libel, after she accused “Rebekah Vardy’s account” of leaking stories about her to the press – something Rebekah strongly denies.
CHECK OUT Wayne and Coleen Rooney's love story from the start
Wayne and Coleen Rooney's relationship timeline - slider
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Even though they first met at school when they were 12, Wayne and Coleen first started dating after they finished school at the age of 16.
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At just 17 Wayne joined Everton football club and even though they'd only been dating a year Coleen admitted that they had already discussed getting married.At the time she admitted: "We want to spend the rest of our lives together and there's no stronger commitment than getting married."
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The happy couple got engaged in 2003 at a petrol station after Wayne got down on one knee. He asked his childhood sweetheart to spend the rest of their lives together with a £46,500 engagement ring.
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Coleen discovered that Wayne slept with a 48-year-old nan in a brothel back in 2002
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The WAG then defended her fiancé and admitted when he cheated they hadn't slept together yet. She added, "we weren't having that kind of relationship at that stage."
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Wayne and Coleen looked totally loved up at a public event a year before they got married
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At the age of 22, Wayne and Coleen tied the knot in a church in Italy!
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2009 – A year after their wedding, the happy couple welcomed their first child Kai into the world
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Just a year after they had their first child it was alleged that while Coleen was pregnant, Wayne cheated with prostitutes Jennifer Thompson and Helen Wood.
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Even though Coleen and Kai moved out of their family home following the allegations, the married couple put their troubles aside and reunited.
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The happy couple look so adorable with their son Kai while they await the arrival of their second child
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The Rooney's welcomed their second baby into the world – Klay
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In 2016, the Rooney family welcome baby Kit into the world
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During the summer holidays Coleen denied being pregnant after this photo emerged (even though she was)
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After denying her pregnancy for weeks the happy couple soon confirmed the exciting news - that they're having their fourth child!
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It was shortly after the Rooney's announced they're having their fourth child that Wayne was pictured and arrested for drunk driving.
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Things went from bad to worst after it came to light that Wayne was driving Laura Simpson's car. She then spoke out and claimed that they "had a kiss, a hug, some banter, harmless fun".
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It was then reported that Coleen along with her sons had fled from the family home after revealing her marriage was over.
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Following the scandal, Wayne received a driving ban for two years following his arrest and Laura appeared on This Morning to deny ever cheating with the footballer.
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After weeks of speculation around the couples marriage, it appeared that all was forgiven and forgotten as it was reported that the pair were planning on renewing their wedding vows.
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Coleen then surprised everyone by being totally honest in a Facebook post and admitted that although she's been through a "shit time" she decided to forgive her husband because she wants to "try and continue our marriage and live as a family".
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In February 2018 the Rooney family got even bigger as the happy couple welcomed their fourth child into the world - baby Cass!Yup. They broke their tradition with names beginning with 'K' but the little is adorable so who cares, ey?
Earlier this month, Coleen scored another small victory ahead of the main trial, with Becky being forced to pay £10,500 towards the former’s legal costs. Meanwhile, last week, the pair appeared to be embroiled in a thinly-veiled slanging match, after Becky lashed out at trolls who slammed her for posing for promo pics at London Zoo, writing, “Maybe I should start doing fake coffee run pics” – days after Coleen was snapped outside her local Caffé Nero again. Coleen bit back, tweeting the next day, “AS IF!!!” alongside a coffee emoji, a running emoji and a crying with laughter emoji.
But while Coleen seemed happy to laugh off Becky’s possible dig, our source tells us she’s keen to show that she’s far more down-to-earth than her rival. So, while Becky and her husband Jamie flew off to an undisclosed tropical location last month, posting idyllic photos from the beach, Coleen’s been taking the family on UK-based staycations.
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As well as their recent trip to Blackpool, the family were also spotted last month enjoying a barge-based minibreak along the canals in Wheaton Aston, Staffordshire, and Coleen and Wayne also took a couple’s trip to Northern Ireland – all which stand in massive contrast to their usual holiday destinations, which include Barbados (where they own a £5m villa), Portugal and Dubai.
According to our source, Coleen hasn’t ruled out fitting in a quick trip to the Caribbean in the near future, but mainly, she’s focusing on staying local and true to her humble roots. We’re told, “She really has been loving taking the boys on low-key trips nearby, and she hopes this shows, once and for all, that she’s not a prima donna.”
The insider adds, “She’s happy for Becky to go on lavish holidays and post pictures of them, especially if it makes her seem more relatable in comparison. She just wants to focus on her boys and de-WAG herself for good. At the end of the day, she’s a normal wife and mum.”
Read more in the latest issue of heat magazine – OUT NOW.