The Rooneys have packed in a lot across 11 years of marriage: four boys, a million holidays – and almost as many cheating rumours.
And the past 12 months have probably been their toughest yet, with insiders saying Coleen has come close to leaving Wayne for good several times.
But – as they move their family back to the UK for a fresh start in their newly renovated Cheshire mansion – we’re told the WAG has made a decision.
“With Wayne, it’s a case of better the devil she knows,” says an insider close to Coleen, who’s mum to Kai, nine, Klay, six, Kit, three, and one-year-old Cass.
The family returned to England last month after a year in the US, while Wayne remains in Washington until the football season ends next month.
“Everyone’s asking Coleen whether her marriage will survive, and she’s said she’s decided to stay with Wayne. She’s thought it through – and she knows people won’t understand – but she would rather continue living a lie than go through the pain of a divorce.
"She doesn’t want the uncertainty of a future without Wayne, so staying in the marriage seems like the lesser of two evils. In her head, she’s convinced herself that keeping the relationship going is the only viable path. It’s quite heartbreaking she feels this way.”
Check out: From Cheryl to Coleen Rooney: where are the 2006 WAGS now?
The UK Wags - where are they now?
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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.
As heat has told you, it’s been a year of scandal for Wayne, who moved his wife and children to Washington last summer, so he could play for DC United.
Things quickly went downhill for the couple as stories leaked about a drunken arrest, wild nights out, and flirting with other women. Following a rumoured ultimatum from a fed-up Coleen, this summer, Wayne announced he was leaving the US halfway through his contract for the sake of his family.
Just weeks after this announcement – and with his wife already back in England – Wayne was then pictured in Vancouver partying with several women during a seven-hour boozing session with team mates. And while he furiously tweeted that it was an innocent night out, one of the women later described how he stripped down to his boxers during a wild hot-tub party.
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Last week Coleen, 33, shared pictures on Instagram of the kids reading together, calling the sweet moment “priceless”. And, we’re told, it’s for their sake that Coleen has chosen to stay with her husband.
“With Wayne still in Washington, she’s getting a taste of what life as a single mum would be like, and it doesn’t appeal,” says the insider.
“Yes, her parents are there to help every day, and someone usually stays with her in the evening, but it still sucks. She has four kids to put to bed, four kids to organise for breakfast and three kids to get ready for school – it’s mayhem.
She’s a fantastic mum with lots of patience, but there are days when she’s tearing her hair out, and she doesn’t want to do it solo long-term. Wayne has his faults, but at least she can get him to help her.
"He’s happy to share the parenting workload and is great at sorting bath and bed times, plus organising the boys for sports and activities.”
Another thing putting Coleen off is the prospect of re-entering the dating world. “She doesn’t think she could meet anyone else,” says heat’s source.
“She’s joked about it before, saying, ‘Can you imagine what would happen if I divorced him? Who would take me on with four kids and Wayne Rooney as my ex- husband?’ She thinks her fame and status would scare men off, or attract all the wrong types.”
But, the insider adds, just because Coleen feels trapped in her current situation, that doesn’t mean she’s ready to completely forgive and forget.
“Let’s face it, they both seem pretty miserable and the marriage is a bit of a farce at the moment,” says an insider close to the couple, who met aged 12 and married in 2008.
“They both know that. They’re barely speaking and Coleen hardly acknowledges him. They text each other about the kids and he checks in on FaceTime to chat to the boys every evening, but that’s it.
"Wayne is in the dog house and he knows it, so is trying to make it up to her, but they are still in a stand-off. Coleen wants him to go to rehab to get control of his partying, but he’s not keen. And until he gets back to the UK, there’s not much either of them can do.”
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Wayne will be returning to England properly from October, just as renovations finish on the couple’s £20million dream house in Cheshire.
“Coleen is counting down the days until they can move in properly,” we’re told.
“She’s so excited about putting the finishing touches on the house and wants it to be perfect. She’s totally thrown herself into every design aspect of it. This is essentially how she passed the time in the US when she was bored and lonely, so it’s a big thing for her.
"She’s also hiring a housekeeper, a full-time cleaner, and a nanny, as they had those in America. Coleen realised how much easier it makes life, so she’s definitely getting help, and maybe it will mean she can focus more on her marriage. She’s hoping the new home will give her and Wayne a fresh start.”
The insider adds, “But whatever happens, Coleen’s determined to stick it out with Wayne. Although he’s made her miserable, she’s always loved him and feels like her life would be over without him, and that everything would be more difficult.
"Plus, she’d still worry about him because of the kids, and there would probably be even more drama and headlines. He would be free to do anything he wanted with other women and get into more trouble. So, right now, Coleen is focusing on settling back into her old life. She’s happy to be home and keen to get back to normal – and unfortunately, an unhappy marriage is her normal."
Read even more great celeb stories in this week's heat magazine - out now.