«Wagatha Christie»
English players’ wives argue in court
Coleen Rooney (l) and Rebekah Vardy are in a clinch in court. Photo: Danny Lawson/Owen Humphreys/PA Wire/dpa
© dpa-infocom GmbH
Not only did their husbands cause a sensation in the penalty area, now Rebekah Vardy and Coleen Rooney are clashing in court. Amused and fascinated, people in the motherland of football watch the process of the players’ wives.
Bad allegations between celebrities, treason and football: The dispute between Rebekah Vardy and Coleen Rooney offers almost everything that causes a stir in Great Britain.
What started as a hassle between gamers’ wives on the internet has serious consequences. Now the former friends face each other in court.
In short, the case goes like this: The wife of ex-England international striker Wayne Rooney publicly accused the wife of ex-England international striker Jamie Vardy of leaking private information to The Sun tabloid. So Vardy is now suing Rooney for defamation.
The player’s wife as a hobby detective
Not only those involved cause a stir, but above all the circumstances. Rooney has clarified the case – from her point of view – with an almost criminalistic flair. Her actions brought the 36-year-old a new nickname: the media named what is probably the most famous representative of the “wags” – as gamers’ wives are called in England after the abbreviation “wives and girlfriends” – “Wagatha Christie”, after the famous crime writer Agatha Christie.
The bombshell broke on October 9, 2019. In a social media post, Rooney described how she had long had the feeling that someone in her circle of friends was passing on private stories to the “Sun”. It is important to know that the mother of four – like many more or less prominent people do – also has a private account on social networks like Instagram, where she decides who can see her posts. Rooney suspects that the mole also came from this circle.
To check, she blocked all of her private subscribers except one. Then she shared fictional stories in her Instagram stories – all of which were picked up by the “Sun”. So she knew with certainty who was behind it, Rooney wrote, before setting the punch line with dramatic punctuation: “It was ………. Rebekah Vardy’s account.”
Broken heart emoji
The accused, who was pregnant at the time, countered – of course – also via social media. She was very disappointed in Rooney. “I really liked you Coleen and I’m very sad that you decided to do this, especially when I’m heavily pregnant,” Vardy, now 40, promptly wrote. “I’m disgusted that I have to deny it at all.” In keeping with Instagram, she ended her post with a broken heart emoji – and filed a lawsuit.
The ball is now on Coleen Rooney’s side. Because the English defamation law provides that the defendant must prove their allegations.
So far, prominent husbands have largely stayed out of the game. The star strikers have actually been a constant source of scandals of all kinds.
For example, Jamie Vardy (35), who experienced a meteoric rise from the lower leagues to the sensational championship with Leicester City and to the national team within a few years, once played as an amateur footballer with electronic ankle bracelets – because of physical injury.
Wayne Rooney (36) is even considered the “enfant terrible” of English football in recent history. Again and again, the national team’s record goalscorer attracted attention with alcohol excesses and extramarital affairs. He also appeared regularly in the “Yellow Press” as coach of the second division club Derby County, which has since been relegated.
Coleen Rooney, with whom he has been dating since school, always played a supporting role as a betrayed wife who ultimately remained loyal to her famous husband. This time, however, the floodlights of the public shine on themselves.