Coleen Rooney fights to save her marriage

It’s their first family vacation of 2020, and while we would all love to be living it up in Barbados, it hasn’t exactly been the relaxing break that Wayne and Coleen Rooney had been dreaming of. The couple flew to their Caribbean holiday home last week with their four sons – Kai, ten, Klay, seven, Kit, four, and two-year-old Cass – and Coleen’s parents.

During the holiday, Coleen was pictured on the beach playing with her kids in a swimming costume – which is a big change from her normal bikinis. It led to lots of online speculation that she could be expecting baby number five, as she wasn’t showing off her tummy as usual, although she has said that she likes to relax her diet on holiday. However, we’re told it was Coleen’s ongoing court battle with Rebekah Vardy that dominated their break, as it continues to put more strain on the family and cause rows.

“It has been such a stressful year for them, and after Wayne finished the football season, they wanted to go to Barbados and forget about everything that’s been going on,” our insider says. “But that has proved impossible as the court battle just won’t go away, and Coleen is determined to see it through, much to Wayne’s horror. He thinks she should just leave it and move on, but Coleen is refusing and has warned him that, if he doesn’t support her, it could mean the end for their marriage. There have been so many rows and arguments about it, but Wayne knows he’s got to back her.”

Becky – wife of Leicester striker Jamie Vardy – is currently suing Coleen for libel after she accused “Rebekah Vardy’s account” of leaking stories about her last October. Before the Rooneys flew to Barbados, Becky’s court papers claimed that she had been made a “scapegoat” by Coleen and that she was worried she could lose her unborn baby due to the public humiliation and stress Coleen had put her under. But Coleen is determined to have her day in court, and following the sacking of her original lawyers – after they allegedly told her to back down and give Becky the public apology she’s after – she has reportedly now hired David Sherborne, the feared barrister who represented Johnny Depp in his recent libel battle.

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But, we’re told those closest to her still want her to drop the case. “Coleen’s parents and Wayne are hoping the holiday gives her the breathing space she needs to reconsider,” our source adds. “The realisation that Rebekah was going at this all guns blazing was a slap in the face, and she’s been anxious – she keeps going over it in her head. Rebekah has made it clear that this is a tactic to make Coleen wise up about how stupid this is and how bad it would be for them to go to court. Her demand is still a public apology to save them both from a court case. Coleen feels humiliated, and because she’s being told from all sides to give it up, she’s starting to look incredibly bad – and it’s only going to get worse.”

The source continues, “Everyone is hoping that the holiday, with no stresses and switching off from what has become a very pressured situation in the UK, will allow Coleen to relax, hopefully defuse the tension, and maybe even allow her the time to really think about what’s coming next. Her close friends reckon that she needs a few days to think about how to get herself out of this without losing face, because that’s what really matters to her – it’s all about pride.”

Although Wayne, 34, wants Coleen, also 34, to give this up, he knows he can’t say too much because of how he’s treated her in the past. As well as cheating on her with prostitutes when she was pregnant with Kai, in recent years, he’s been arrested for drunken behaviour, been pictured with different women, and was charged for drink-driving while taking home party girl Laura Simpson after a night out when Coleen was expecting Cass. However, he can’t always hold back.

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“To her face, her parents and Wayne are behind her on the court case – they have no choice, she’s completely single-minded,” heat’s insider says. “Wayne was told very clearly, ‘Support me on this, I have supported you through everything, so you need to be on my side.’ There have been so many rows about it, but Wayne has been firmly put in his place and knows that the wellbeing of his marriage and his home life depend on it. Col’s parents have expressed their worries about health, and have questioned why she would even risk all of this being in public, when surely that’s the very thing she’s fighting for – preventing someone profiting out her personal life.”

But, we’re told, people are worried about what will happen if this does go to court and what will be revealed. “Coleen isn’t coming out of this well at the moment, and her team have said that it could get worse,” we’re told. “They have told her what to expect if this goes to court and what she will be asked about. The stuff that will be raked up will bring up so many humiliating memories, including every time Wayne has cheated and his gambling problems. Wayne doesn’t want any of this, but they’re at loggerheads and can’t agree on anything.”

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