The so-called 'Wagatha Christie' libel trial involving the wives of 2 ex-England soccer stars has gripped the UK. Here's what you need to know.
Barnaby Lane
- The "Wagatha Christie" trial sees Rebekah Vardy suing Coleen Rooney for libel in the UK.
- Both wives of ex-England soccer players, Rooney accused Vardy of leaking stories about her to the press.
Rebekah Vardy and Coleen Rooney are currently going toe-to-toe at the High Court in London in what is one of the most high profile UK libel battles in recent years.
It all started in October 2019, when Rooney, the wife of former England striker Wayne Rooney, publicly accused Vardy, the wife of Leicester City and former England striker Jamie Vardy, of leaking information about her personal life to The Sun.
In a now infamous tweet, Rooney claimed that in order to deduce Vardy was sharing stories with the newspaper, she wrote made-up tales on her Instagram stories, allowed only Vardy to see them, and then waited to see if they would appear in The Sun.
Rooney claimed three false stories that only Vardy had seen did end up in the paper — one about her travelling to Mexico for a "gender selection" procedure, one about her planning to return to television, and one about her basement flooding.
"It's ………. Rebekah Vardy's account," she wrote on Twitter.
Rooney's detective work earned her the nickname "Wagatha Christie," referencing the nickname for the partners of British football stars – WAGs, meaning "wives and girlfriends" — and the famous detective fiction author Agatha Christie.
Vardy has consistently denied the accusations and in June 2020, decided to sue Rooney for libel.
After months months of preliminary hearings, none of which were attended by either Vardy or Rooney, the seven-day trial began at the High Court on the Strand, London, on Tuesday.
At the trial, Rooney must show that she has proof that Vardy was behind the leaks, or that making the accusation against Vardy was in the public interest.
On the opening day of the trial, Rooney's lawyers argued that they may not be able to conclusively prove Vardy was behind the leaks, but likened the case to a detective story, such as those written by Christie.
"In essence, this is a detective story, and like any good detective story, you never find a person standing over the body with a smoking gun," Rooney's barrister David Sherborne said, per the Independent.
"You do not have to be convinced beyond reasonable doubt, you just have to conclude that it is more likely than not that Mrs Vardy was responsible."
The trial has now entered its fourth day, with Vardy taking the stand on the first three days, and Rooney appearing Friday. Read on to see the key details from the first days of the trial.
The trial's first notable moment came when Vardy was quizzed about an interview where she spoke about musician Peter Andre's genitals on day one.
In a 2004 interview with the News of the World, Vardy compared singer Peter Andre's genitals to a type of sausage during an interview about a romantic relationship the pair had.
The newspaper used the headline: "Peter's hung like a small chipolata, shaved, slobbery, lasts five minutes."
On Tuesday, Rooney's barrister David Sherborne quizzed Vardy about the interview, asking the 40-year-old, according to The Independent, whether it was "respectful" of Andre's "right not to share" information about their alleged sexual encounter with a newspaper.
Vardy claimed she was forced into the interview by an ex-boyfriend and said that she "deeply regrets" the interview.
On the same day, Vardy was also accused by Rooney's barrister of deleting messages she had exchanged with a journalist.
The next day, Vardy was accused of leaking a story about her husband's former teammate.
On day two, Rooney's lawyer challenged Vardy over messages she sent to her agent Caroline Watt about Jamie Vardy's former Leicester City teammate Riyad Mahrez in 2018.
Vardy allegedly sent a text to Watt saying "the lads are fuming" after Mahrez had failed to turn up for training.
At the time, Mahrez was trying to push through a move to Manchester City, who he later joined for $73 million.
The High Court was told, according to SportBible, that Watt suggested they leak the information to Sky Sports News reporter Rob Dorsett, to which Vardy said: "I just don't want it coming back on me."
Dorsett would later tweet: "I'm told Riyad Mahrez failed to report for #lcfc training this morning. He has now missed two training sessions and a game, so is technically in breach of contract and on strike."
Vardy claims that she was "just gossiping" when messaging Watt and that her husband had "never discussed whether the lads were fuming."
On day three, Vardy then appeared to admit her agent had leaked a story about Rooney.
The court heard Thursday, according the BBC, that Rooney's car was damaged in early 2019 and that she then posted a picture of the damaged vehicle on her private Instagram account.
Three days later, a story about Rooney's car was published in the Sun, written by journalist Andy Halls.
Texts between Vardy and her agent were then read to the court by Rooney's barrister Sherborne.
"Halls is trying to do a story on Coleen crashing her car but her PR [publicist] won't even reply. I've told him I'm 100% confident that it happened but don't know how," Watt had texted Vardy.
Sherborne accused Vardy of not objecting to Watt's passing on the information to The Sun.
Vardy said she believed the newspaper already had the information, adding: "I didn't think she was passing on any new information."
After the story appeared in The Sun, Rooney posted a public tweet saying someone was "betraying" her.
While discussing this tweet in a private WhatsApp conversation, Watt told Vardy: "It wasn't someone she trusted. It was me."
Asked by Sherborne if this showed that Watt admits to leaking the information to Halls, Vardy said: "That seems to be what she is saying."
She also detailed the abuse her family has received as a result of the saga.
Proceedings Thursday were halted twice Thursday as Vardy cried upon cross examination from Sherborne.
The 40-year-old was also in tears when Sherborne questioned her about the abuse her family has suffered as a result of the spat with Rooney.
According to The Independent, Sherborne referenced online rape threats against Vardy's daughter, which prompted her to weep.
Hugh Tomlinson QC, representing Vardy, told the High Court, according to the Independent, that she and her family were subjected to "abuse and threats of a really horrific nature" following Rooney's viral post.
Tomlinson said Vardy was "jeered and heckled" at football matches and received hateful comments, including one which said she was an "evil rat-faced bitch" who "deserved to die."
Vardy concluded her evidence Thursday again in tears as she accused Rooney of driving Watt, who isn't in court, to "suicidal thoughts" with her "antics."
Rooney began giving evidence Friday.
After over three grueling days of cross-examination at High Court, Vardy said Friday morning, according to The Evening Standard, that she feels bullied.
Asked by her barrister Tomlinson QC how she had found giving evidence at the libel trial, she said: "Exhausting, intimidating. I feel like I have been bullied and manipulated."
On Friday, Vardy also said she had told Watt not to leak a story about a married soccer player having an affair and getting a woman pregnant.
She denied involvement in stories about the soccer player that subsequently appeared in the Daily Mail and The Sun, adding that Watt had "absolutely not" been involved either.
Vardy did, however, admit to being prepared to leak news of soccer player Danny Drinkwater's drink drive arrest in April 2019, according to The Evening Standard.
Rooney then begun giving her evidence on Friday afternoon and started by telling the court she did not intend to cause harm over her Twitter post about Vardy.
"I gave out a warning it didn't stop and this was my last resort. I was surprised myself how much interest it caused," she said, according to The Evening Standard.
"I would never wish abuse upon anyone. I've had it myself, it's not nice, and I would never let anyone get abused on my behalf."
The trial continues, and is scheduled for three more days in court next week.
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