She’s fought tooth and nail in the past not only to save her marriage, but also to preserve its public reputation. And it’s fair to say that Coleen Rooney has proven just how formidable she can be in protecting both, so heaven help anyone who might dare to cross or question her. Yes, we’re looking at you, Lauryn Goodman.
As heat has previously told you, Coleen has watched from the sidelines over the past few months as a bitter war has broken out between influencer Lauryn; her former lover, footballer Kyle Walker, and his now-estranged wife Annie Kilner – a good friend of Coleen’s. The proverbial hit the fan earlier this year, after it was revealed that married Kyle had fathered a second child with Lauryn, prompting Annie to kick him out of the home they shared with their three children.
Annie, who is eight months pregnant, turned to her fellow WAG and friend Coleen, who offered her a shoulder to cry on – and contacts in the form of her lawyer Paul Lunt and her former PR agent Rachel Monk. But, despite making the introductions, Coleen was unwilling to be dragged into someone else’s mess after putting to rest years of scrutiny into her and husband Wayne Rooney’s own tumultuous relationship.
So, imagine her dismay last week when she was alerted to a blog post that Lauryn wrote for her paying online subscribers, which took aim at Annie for employing Coleen’s former PR. Insisting that she had never meant the paternity of her second child to go public, Lauryn alleged that it was Rachel Monk who first briefed the press. Mentioning the Rooneys, she also joked that Rachel specialised in “protecting” philandering footballers. Now, we’re told Coleen is furious that she and Wayne have been brought into the drama, and that Wayne’s past cheating scandals have come back to haunt her yet again.
“Coleen cannot believe Lauryn would go there,” says an insider close to the mum of four, who last year said she finally felt empowered to tell her own story, including discussing her and Wayne’s struggles, on her terms, in a Vogue interview, as well as in her memoir and on Disney+ documentary Coleen: The Real Wagatha Story.
“She’d never give Lauryn the satisfaction of subscribing to her blog, but she’s been told what was written. She is livid that she’s been pulled into this mess, just because – like all of Annie’s friends – she’s supporting her through this. She’s been quite open about her and Wayne’s problems, and they’ve owned them, but the Kyle/Annie/Lauryn situation has nothing to do with them.”
Having previously shied away from discussing Wayne’s past betrayals – which included him cheating on her with sex workers, spending the night behind bars after being arrested while drunk at the airport, and getting caught drink-driving while taking home a woman he’d met that night – Coleen opened up last year about fighting to save their marriage. Speaking to Vogue in August, the 37 year old said, “There’s been doubts. ‘Is this going to work?’ I’ve been full of frustration and hurt. But another thing is, we’ve never backed away from it. We own it.”
Fans were quick to support Coleen last week, and slam Lauryn in the process, with one commenting, “Brass neck talking about the Rooneys – I hope they take her to court, too”, and another chiming in, “She thought speaking the Rooneys’ name would bring her to their level”. Still, having recently opened up more than ever about her marriage, Coleen had hoped the matter would be put to rest. The fact that she’s now involved in another WAG drama is something she doesn’t take lightly, and Lauryn should be prepared for the ramifications.
“For Lauryn to drag Coleen and Wayne into all this is a new low,” says our source.
“She should know that Coleen won’t hold back if she thinks she is being wrongly talked about.”