It’s been two-and-a-half years in the making, but the Wagatha Christie court case between Coleen Rooney and Rebekah Vardy is finally set to be heard this month. And after a shock U-turn from Becky last week, it looks like Coleen is back in the driving seat, after she accused “Rebekah Vardy’s account” of leaking stories about her back in 2019.
Mum-of-five Becky – who is married to Leicester player Jamie – has now given a new statement to the court, and Coleen’s lawyers say it means Becky “has been forced to come clean” and admit she believes her former agent and close friend, Caroline Watt, could be the one responsible.
During hearings that have taken place ahead of the main trial, which is scheduled to begin on 9 May, Coleen’s lawyers have accused Becky and Caroline of colluding together to sell stories – which Becky has always denied. Now, Coleen’s lawyer David Sherborne has told the court that Becky “appears to accept” that she believes her agent was the source. He said the statement “suggests Ms Watt was the source of the leak, but claims that Mrs Vardy ‘did not authorise or condone her’”.
Mr Sherborne added, “The collapse of Ms Vardy’s case over the last day has been remarkable. As of the evening of 27 April 2022, in an abrupt change of position to her pleaded case since the outset, Mrs Vardy appears now to accept Mrs Rooney’s case: that Caroline Watt, Ms Vardy’s close friend and PR, was the conduit by which stories from the Defendant’s Private Instagram Account were leaked to The Sun through her access via Rebekah Vardy’s account [@beckyvardy]… It is only now – over two weeks later and on the eve of trial – that Mrs Vardy has been forced to come clean.”
He added, “It has become undeniably obvious that Ms Watt is the source and Mrs Vardy, true to form, says, ‘It wasn’t me, I didn’t realise and I didn’t know anything about what was going on’.” However, Becky’s lawyer, Hugh Tomlinson QC, told the court that his client’s new witness statement did not contain “any change whatever in the pleaded case”.
In case you’ve been living under a rock for the past few years, in October 2019, Coleen – wife of former England captain Wayne – accused “Rebekah Vardy’s account” of leaking stories about her, after planting fake stories on her private Instagram account to see if they would make it into The Sun, which some of them did. Becky has always denied this and is now suing her former friend for libel.
There have been a series of dramatic pre-trial hearings, with Coleen’s lawyers making shocking allegations about Becky. According to messages disclosed in court between Becky, 40, and Caroline Watt, Becky said she “would love” to sell stories about Coleen, 36. Many of the messages were also very uncomplimentary of Coleen – though Becky claims she was not referring to her. It was also claimed that, during the 2018 World Cup, Becky had staged photos with other footballers’ wives without their knowledge, and had also tried to sell a story, through Caroline, about one of Jamie’s ex- teammates after he was arrested for drink-driving.
When Coleen’s lawyers asked for Caroline’s phone to be handed over as evidence, she said it had been accidentally dropped into the sea. WhatsApp messages requested from Becky were also “accidentally lost” as she tried to send them to her lawyers, and the laptop used at the time “no longer functions”. And while Coleen – who is required to prove that it was Becky who leaked stories, rather than simply someone with access to her Instagram account – is happy with last week’s new revelations from Becky’s side, we’re told she is still nervous about the trial. She had always wanted to settle out of court and thinks the amount of money being spent is ridiculous, but has refused to back down and sees this as an opportunity to reveal what she thinks is the truth about Becky.
“The trial has totally consumed Coleen these past weeks – she’s on the phone non-stop to her legal team with constant questions, asking, ‘Can we do this? Can we say this?’ She’s been swotting up on legal terms and playing out the various outcomes in her head,” our insider says.
“With it likely that both she and Wayne will have to take the stand, they have been practising their testimonies. They know the kind of questions that will be asked about their private lives. While Coleen would rather have settled of court, she’s the one who’s being sued and she’s angry.”
The source adds, “Coleen is all about exposing Becky and having everyone see what kind of person she really is.”