Rebekah Vardy makes fresh bid to weaken Coleen Rooney's case


Rebekah Vardy is making a fresh bid to weaken rival Coleen Rooney’s case before their so-called Wagatha Christie case reaches its dramatic conclusion.

Rebekah, 39, is working to have a section of evidence from Coleen’s defence ‘struck out’ in her latest move, the section is known as ‘TV Details story’ and stems from a story Coleen claims she leaked in September 2019.

Meanwhile, Coleen has just 24 hours to add any more evidence before a new deadline, MailOnline has learned.

The twin developments signal that the two warring Wags are further than ever from reaching an eleventh-hour agreement to prevent a lurid and hugely expensive court case from going ahead.

Claims: Rebekah Vardy is making a fresh bid to weaken rival Coleen Rooney's case before their so-called Wagatha Christie case reaches its dramatic conclusion (pictured November 2020)

Claims: Rebekah Vardy is making a fresh bid to weaken rival Coleen Rooney’s case before their so-called Wagatha Christie case reaches its dramatic conclusion (pictured November 2020)

Coleen, 34, now has until 4.30pm on Friday to present evidence to oppose the striking out, and Rebekah, 39, will then get a chance to serve a reply to Coleen’s evidence documents.

Rebekah, married to Leicester City striker Jamie Vardy, is suing mother-of-four Coleen for libel after Coleen accused her to leaking false stories over her private life.

The long-running feud between the high-profile WAGS erupted after Coleen revealed that she had set a trap to see who was responsible for the leaks, which earned her the nickname Wagatha Christie.

Coleen famously wrote: ‘I have saved and screenshotted all the original stories which clearly show just one person has viewed them. It’s ……………. Rebekah Vardy’s account.’

Soon after, Rebekah took to social media to deny being the person who had leaked the stories to the press, after Coleen’s post went viral

Last June, it emerged that Rebekah had launched a case to sue Coleen for £1 million.

Deadline time: And meanwhile, Coleen has just 24 hours to add any more evidence before a new deadline, MailOnline has learned (pictured October 2020)

Deadline time: And meanwhile, Coleen has just 24 hours to add any more evidence before a new deadline, MailOnline has learned (pictured October 2020)

The latest twist in the saga saw Mr Justice Nicklin, set the deadline in an order, telling both women that if they want to change any dates, they have to apply formally to the court.

He also set down a timetable to take the case forward, with both women being required to serve revised costs budgets with the court by June 18 this year. 

The section of evidence which Rebekah wants to be ‘struck out’ in her latest move – removed as evidence from the case – is known as the ‘TV Details story’ and stems from September 2019.

Coleen famously wrote: 'I have saved and screenshotted all the original stories which clearly show just one person has viewed them. It's ................ Rebekah Vardy's account'

Coleen famously wrote: ‘I have saved and screenshotted all the original stories which clearly show just one person has viewed them. It’s ……………. Rebekah Vardy’s account’ 

At that point, Coleen claims to have blocked all followers from her Instagram Stories, except Rebekah, then posted a selfie alongside the text: ‘Up and out!! Easing my way back into work!! TV decisions today… maybe it’s time for Australia’ and ‘Good Day’ with a heart emoji.

Three days later the Sun published an ‘exclusive’ story suggesting that Coleen was in talks to join Strictly Come Dancing the following year and was looking ‘to revive her TV career’.

According to Coleen’s defence document, Rebekah could be inferred to be the source of the Sun’s story, but Rebekah’s lawyers reject that conclusion, and want the judge to agree with them by striking out the passage.

Rebekah pictured November 2020

Coleen pictured November 2020

No slowing down: The twin developments signal that the two warring Wags are further than ever from reaching an eleventh-hour agreement to prevent a lurid and hugely expensive court case from going ahead

A costs and case management hearing will take place before procedural judge Master Roger Eastman on July 2, likely to last two and a half hours. The hearing will decide how the case will go ahead.

Already Coleen has described Rebekah’s budget of nearly £900,000 for the case as ‘grotesque’ after a virtual hearing before Master Eastman in March, who said the budgets for both women were ‘extraordinarily large.’ 

Coleen estimated her budget for legal fees at £402,312.

Efforts at mediation in the hope of settling the case are thought doomed to failure, especially since Coleen has declined to remove the posts at the centre of the libel action, which remain accessible online.

Time's running out! Coleen, 34, now has until 4.30pm on Friday to present evidence to oppose the striking out, and Rebekah, 39, will then get a chance to serve a reply to Coleen's evidence documents (Coleen pictured with husband Wayne)

Time’s running out! Coleen, 34, now has until 4.30pm on Friday to present evidence to oppose the striking out, and Rebekah, 39, will then get a chance to serve a reply to Coleen’s evidence documents (Coleen pictured with husband Wayne)

Since Rebekah initiated the case there have been a series of legal skirmishes ahead of the planned full case.

In October 2020, Coleen ‘doubled down’ by filing her 55-page defence and sharing images of the Instagram posts she alleged Rebekah leaked.

The following month, Rebekah won the first round of her High Court libel battle at the ‘meanings hearing’

In February, the pair attended a court-ordered mediation session on Zoom, their first meeting for years.

Court case: Rebekah, married to Leicester City striker Jamie Vardy, is suing mother-of-four Coleen for libel after Coleen accused her to leaking false stories over her private life (Rebekah pictured with husband Jamie and their baby girl Olivia)

Court case: Rebekah, married to Leicester City striker Jamie Vardy, is suing mother-of-four Coleen for libel after Coleen accused her to leaking false stories over her private life (Rebekah pictured with husband Jamie and their baby girl Olivia)

Zoom proceedings began with both sides reading out a statement and then breaking off into separate virtual rooms as the mediator spoke to them and their legal representatives independently.

Former columnist Coleen reportedly tried to reach out to brunette Rebekah after another round of failed talks to avoid a costly legal battle.

However, it’s thought that she saw the mediation as a ‘waste of time’ as TV star Becky continues to demand she apologise for her fierce accusation.

Last February, Rebekah broke down on ITV’s Loose Women, saying the feud was ‘one of the worst things I had to deal with apart from being abused when I was younger’.

How Wagatha Christie row exploded from one Instagram post… to the High Court

October 9, 2019: Coleen Rooney accuses Rebekah Vardy of ‘leaking stories about her’ to The Sun. 

Coleen famously wrote: ‘I have saved and screenshotted all the original stories which clearly show just one person has viewed them. It’s ……………. Rebekah Vardy’s account.’ 

October 9, 2019: Rebekah takes to her social media to deny being the leaker as Coleen’s post goes viral, while a Sun spokesman refuses to comment on the source of their stories.  

February 13, 2020: Rebekah breaks down on ITV’s Loose Women, saying the spat was ‘one of the worst things I had to deal with apart from being abused when I was younger’. 

June 22, 2020: It emerges that Rebekah has launched a case to sue Coleen for £1m. 

October 02, 2020: Coleen files her 55-page defence and shares images of the Instagram posts she alleges Rebekah leaked. 

November 20, 2020 Rebekah wins the first round of her High Court libel battle.   

January 18, 2021: Reporters emerge that the pair will be holding a mediation session over Zoom. 

February 4: The pair attend the mediation session, in their first meeting for years. 

March 16: Mediation fails, meaning the case will go to a full trial some time before next April.  

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