Rebekah Vardy news – live: Coleen Rooney says marriage story hit at ‘vulnerable time’
Follow live on fourth day of trial
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Your support makes all the difference.Coleen Rooney has told the High Court she was in a “vulnerable position” when a story about her marriage to Wayne Rooney - that she believes was leaked from her private Instagram - hit the press.
She discussed a story in The Sun about the former England captain being allowed back into the family bed as she took the stand in her libel trial against fellow footballer’s wife Rebekah Vardy.
Ms Rooney also told the court her post naming-and-shaming Ms Vardy’s account as the suspected source of leaks to the press was her “last resort”.
The 36-year-old said she did not tell anyone about the ”sting” operation - which earned her the nickname “Wagatha Christie” when revealed to her followers - to try and work out who was behind the leaks.
Earlier in the morning, Ms Vardy revealed to the court she messaged Peter Andre and his wife about her now-infamous News of the World interview, in which she compared his private anatomy to a “chipolata”.
Ms Rooney is being sued by the wife of Premier League player Jamie Vardy for libel over the story leak accusations.
ICYMI: Coleen Rooney ‘knocked sick’ by Rebekah Vardy’s message about her dead teenage sister
Coleen Rooney said a message between Rebekah Vardy and her agent about her dead sister “knocked her sick” when it was disclosed.
The 36-year-old took to the stand for the first time on the fourth day of the libel trial between herself and Mrs Vardy.
Mrs Vardy denies leaking stories to the media and is suing her fellow footballer’s wife for libel, while Mrs Rooney is defending the claim on the basis her ‘Wagatha Christie’ post was “substantially true”.
Read the full story:
Coleen Rooney ‘knocked sick’ by Rebekah Vardy’s message about her dead teenage sister
Coleen Rooney’s sister suffered with Rett Syndrome and passed away in 2013 aged 14
Whodunnit? When it comes to Wagatha Christie, we may never know
Those nine legendary dot dot dots, that triple ellipsis typed out by Coleen Rooney before the fateful words “Rebekah Vardy’s account” intimate that she’d given this matter quite some consideration. That she’d hovered, finger on the trigger, for a long thrilling moment, before firing what she thought would be the fatal shot.
Read the full story:
Whodunnit? When it comes to Wagatha Christie, we may never know | Tom Peck
Was it ……… Rebekah Vardy’s account? Did Coleen Rooney know for certain it was ……… Rebekah Vardy’s account when she accused Rebekah Vardy of it being Rebekah Vardy’s ……… account?
Recap: Rebekah Vardy and Coleen Rooney - what is their friendship history?
As the fourth day of the trial comes to a close, we take a look back at the pair’s relationship over the years.
Read the full story:
Rebekah Vardy and Coleen Rooney: What is their friendship history?
The footballer’s wives were first pictured together at a 2016 football match
Court rises for the day
The High Court has risen for the day. Coleen Rooney will be back on the witness stand on Monday to resume her testimony.
Coleen Rooney asked her PR Rachel Monk if she could find out who the leak was in her Instagram followers.
In messages read out to court, Ms Rooney wrote: “It is the same person that has been telling the Sun, Is there anyway you can find out who their source is?”
She added later: “I’ve had this suspicion from the start that this is Rebekah Vardy. I don’t know if she’s got any attachments to the Sun.”
Speaking about message in court, Ms Rooney said: “I was trying to get more information and put it together with the information that I already had.
“I wanted to know whether there was a direct link with any journalist.”
Referring to Ms Vardy, she said: “There was no one else on my private Instagram who added up to being in the position to give this information over to the Sun.”
“The confirmation I wanted from Rachel Monk was journalist connections... That’s why I asked her.”
Coleen Rooney is being quizzed about scraping her Honda car
Coleen Rooney told the court: “I find it very strange that Mrs Vardy had to confirm my information to the Sun.
“It’s strange. I would never confirm a story on someone else’s behalf... to a national newspaper.”
Ms Rooney is being quizzed about an Instagram post she put up on her private account in which she said half of her Honda car had been smashed up.
The court heard previously that Ms Vardy and her agent had talked about confirming information to the Sun about the car smash.
Ms Rooney said: “I find that strange that they could ask Mrs Vardy’s confirmation for information on my behalf.”
Ms Rooney was later asked about why press photographers were following her round Washington, taking photos of her damaged car.
Ms Rooney told the court: “I don’t understand why are the press are interested in most things. I wouldn’t be interested... I think most of it is ridiculous.”
Vardy’s lawyer, Hugh Tomlinson QC, replied: “Well maybe that’s something that everyone can agree on.”
The court started laughing and Ms Rooney smiled and laughed in the witness box.
Rooney says she expected Vardy to try and 'pretend to be my friend' if confronted privately
Coleen Rooney has said she thought Rebekah Vardy would “try to explain it away or pretend to be my friend” if she confronted her fellow footballer’s wife privately about alleged leaks.
She wrote in her witness statement: “Nobody had ever contacted me in advance of leaking my posts and stories to The Sun to ask if I was okay with it - on the contrary, I had made it abundantly clear that I was unhappy about the leaks and they continued regardless.
“I took the view that enough warning had already been given and decided to go public.”
She continued: “I had never actually spoken to Becky on the phone before, or met up just the two of us, so we didn’t really have that direct kind of relationship.
“I also knew that she had a very close relationship with the media so I thought that if I confronted her privately then she would probably just try to explain it away or pretend to be my friend and supportive, as she had done before, and then spin the narrative publicly.
“I was also fuming at the time.”
‘I am glad I’ve put an end to Becky’s behaviour’, Ms Rooney said
In her written witness statement, Coleen Rooney said she was “glad I have put an end” to the leaking of information she alleges Rebekah Vardy carried out.
Ms Rooney wrote: “I should add that my concerns went beyond my own posts.
“I knew that I could not be the only one whose trust was being abused by the culprit and I now know from having seen the WhatsApp exchanges between Becky and Caroline that Becky was leaking information about a whole range of other people too.
“I thought whoever was doing this was probably betraying other people in this way too.”
She added: “There have been no leaks of posts from my account since.
“No doubt similar behaviour by Becky was also a real worry for many others too. I am glad I have put an end to it.”
Vardy’s lawyer jokes about Derby County winning the premiership
Ms Rooney, refering to Rebekah Vardy’s Instagram account, said: “In this case I believe that this account is the one that is responsible.”
Vardy’s lawyer, Mr Tomlinson, quizzed her, saying: “You might believe that Derby County will win the premiership in two years time, but it’s not evidence that they’re going to, is it?”
Wayne Rooney, who manages Derby County, remained stoic and stared straight ahead.
Rebekah Vardy pulled an awkward face.