As childhood sweethearts, Wayne and Coleen Rooney have been together for all of life’s big moments. And with the retired footballer turning 40 next month, heat has learned that his devoted wife is in the depths of party planning – and that she sees Wayne’s milestone birthday bash as a golden opportunity to reunite the WAGs from the noughties.
‘Coleen wants to go all out with the party – she’s not given herself any budget limitations, an insider tells heat. ‘The plan is to have lots of celebrations, but she wants the centre piece to be a huge bash at their home – they have more than enough space, and this is just the kind of event she envisioned having when they were building the place.’
The source continues, ‘All of their close friends and family will be there, and she also wants to invite people who have had a big impact on Wayne’s career – which includes a lot of his former England teammates and their wives from back in the day. She doesn’t get to see some of them as much these days, so it would also be a like mini Baden-Baden reunion with the likes of Alex Gerrard, Abbey Clancy, Toni Terry, Louise Owen and even Victoria Beckham if she can make it. Coleen knows those women still love to party and it will be lots of fun.’
In 2006, while the likes of Wayne, David Beckham, Ashley Cole, Peter Crouch, John Terry, Steven Gerrard and Michael Owen were aiming for glory as part of England’s World Cup squad in Germany, their partners – Coleen, Victoria, Cheryl, Abbey, Toni, Alex and Louise – unintentionally created a legacy in their own right. The WAGs’ partying in Baden-Baden – a small, sleepy resort town in Germany, which was England’s base during the World Cup – made almost as big of an impact on the front pages as the football itself.
Some pundits accused the women of overshadowing the tournament – dubbing them ‘hooligans with credit cards’ for their headline-grabbing antics. ‘Football almost became a secondary element to the main event,’ 2006 squad member Rio Ferdinand later said. ‘People were worrying more about what people were wearing or where people were going than the England football team.’
If 2006 is the blueprint, Wayne’s 40th would certainly not be a low-key occasion with the Baden-Baden crew in attendance. But fortunately for the Rooneys, they have the space in their sprawling £20million, six-bedroom mansion, which boasts a home cinema, indoor swimming pool and a stable area with space for 14 horses.
During her appearance on I’m A Celebrity last year, Coleen, 39 – who shares Kai, 15, Klay, 12, Kit, nine, and seven-year-old Cass with her husband of 17 years – gave her fellow camp mates a further insight into their impressive property, telling them, ‘We have a few bars… We have a common bar which is like if people come back late, we’ll have that and we use that for parties. It goes out on to the garden so we can open it up. We’ve got a football pitch outside. We’ve got an underground tunnel that links back to that.’
With drinking spots aplenty, it sounds as though those on the guest list for Wayne’s 40th are in for a treat. After a source told us last year that Coleen ‘lives for parties’, we’re now told, ‘She will go even larger than she usually does for Wayne’s 40th.
The party will also be about their love story through the years – she’s already in talks about having a famous musician play. They may have Westlife again, as they played at their wedding, although Wayne is a big Stereophonics fan, and they also love Ed Shereen and Lewis Capaldi.’
The insider adds, ‘Coleen will also get the best caterers in to serve Wayne’s favourite food and drink, and she is even thinking of having a funfair in the grounds.
She is preparing to throw some serious money at this to make it a night to remember and celebrate everything Wayne has achieved in his personal and professional lives.’
