Rebekah Vardy

Rooney alleged that stories from her private Instagram account were leaked by Vardy to journalists at British tabloid newspaper The Sun.

Rooney maintained that her actions were justified in the interests of truth and public interest. Vardy vehemently denied the claims, arguing that the accusations had caused her "public abuse on a massive scale," and suing Rooney in an attempt to clear her name. It comes two years after Vardy sued Rooney for defamation after a dispute over a string of Instagram posts. The U.K. High Court ruled against Vardy and in favor Rooney after a years' long dispute between the two "wags" — soccer players' wives and girlfriends — which featured all the twists and turns of one of Agatha Christie's finest mystery novels. - It comes two years after Vardy sued Rooney for defamation following a dispute over a string of Instagram posts. - The U.K. High Court ruled against Vardy and in favor Rooney after a years' long saga with enough twists and turns to rival one of Agatha Christie's finest mystery novels.

Coleen Rooney had accused Rebekah Vardy of leaking 'false stories' about her private life to the press.

One of the mistakes that she made...is that she trusted someone she shouldn’t have trusted.” They continued for almost two years, intruding on my privacy and that of my family. “Over the past five months I have posted a series of false stories to see if they made their way into The Sun newspaper. All my attempts to do so were knocked back by Mrs (Rebekah) Vardy. “It is possible, as she now accepts, that the source of the leak could well be Caroline Watt,” he said. Acting on her suspicions, she limited who could see her Instagram stories until only one account remained - Rebekah Vardy’s account.

Coleen Rooney has won her epic High Court battle with Rebekah Vardy after a judge ruled her 'Wagatha Christie' accusations about leaks to the media were ...

Rooney instantly attracted the nickname “Wagatha Christie” when her sleuthing was revealed and went viral in October 2019. They continued for almost two years, intruding on my privacy and that of my family. During the trial she likened Rooney to a “school bully” and broke down in tears as she described the torrent of online abuse she had faced, at a time when she was heavily pregnant. "It was not a case I ever sought or wanted. All my attempts to do so were knocked back by Mrs (Rebekah) Vardy. She said Vardy was involved in a string of leaks of stories to The Sun , ruling: “It is likely that Ms Watt undertook the direct act…of passing the information to a journalist at The Sun.

The long-running Wagatha Christie saga between Coleen Rooney and Rebekah Vardy was finally put to an end after Mrs Justice Steyn announced her ruling, ...

They continued for almost two years, intruding on my privacy and that of my family. The Liverpudlian mother-of-four said at the time: "She has got no need to talk about me or my Instagram. I wouldn’t even know what Caroline Watt looked like. All my attempts to do so were knocked back by Mrs (Rebekah) Vardy. Dubai you were fantastic #grateful [red heart][smiling face surrounded by hearts]". “It was evident that Mrs Vardy found the process of giving evidence stressful and, at times, distressing. It was way bigger than I intended.'' “Consequently, there has been a degree of self-deception on her part regarding the extent to which she was involved, as well as a degree of justified resentment at the exaggerated way in which her role has at times been presented during the litigation.” The words they use are totally untrue. Mrs Justice Steyn said there was a "degree of self-deception" on Rebekah's part in her role in leaking the information, stating that her "indignation at the accusation" stems from a combination of factors. After hours in the stand during a gruelling and exhaustive cross-examination, Rebekah told the court she felt "bullied and intimidated" before adding: "I didn’t do anything wrong and I wanted to clear my name, and I wanted it not just for me but for my family and my children." The judge said in her ruling today: “In my judgment, the conclusions that I have reached as to the extent to which the claimant engaged in disclosing to The Sun information to which she only had access as a permitted follower of an Instagram account which she knew, and Mrs Rooney repeatedly asserted, was private, suffice to show the single meaning is substantially true.” In her ruling, Justice Steyn said it was "likely that Rebekah's agent at the time, Caroline Watt, "undertook the direct act" of passing information to The Sun.

In a summary of the judgment, Mrs Jusice Steyn writes: "The claim has been dismissed. The defendant succeeded in establishing that the essence of the libel was ...

Mr Sherborne argued that Mrs Vardy had a “habitual and established practice” of leaking information about those she knew – through Ms Watt – to The Sun newspaper. In a now famous post, Coleen used social media in October 2019 to accuse Jamie Vardy 's wife's account of selling stories from her private Instagram account to the tabloids. The defendant succeeded in establishing that the essence of the libel was substantially true.

Rebekah Vardy has lost her explosive High Court libel battle, dubbed Wagatha Christie, against Coleen Rooney. After a highly-publicised libel trial in May, ...

Defending his client’s sting operation, Rooney’s barrister Mr Sherbourne said during the trial: ‘It is what she believed at the time… In her judgment, she said: ‘It was evident that Mrs Vardy found the process of giving evidence stressful and, at times, distressing. The judge said: ‘I accept that her health has been adversely affected by these proceedings. ‘It is something that I deeply regret… Discussing Rooney’s viral ‘reveal’ post, her barrister added: ‘It is what she believed at the time… They continued for almost two years, intruding on my privacy and that of my family. ‘But in the circumstances, I also draw the inference that Mrs Vardy chose not to call Ms Watt because she knew that when tested in cross-examination her evidence would be shown to be untrue, and that it would have been highly likely to have undermined the claimant’s case that she had no involvement in disclosing information from the private Instagram account.’ ‘However, I am compelled to the conclusion that the primary reason Ms Watt was so very reluctant to give evidence, and has suffered adversely from the pressure to do so, was that she knew that to a large extent the evidence in her statements was untrue. ‘It was not a case I ever sought or wanted. In a rather genius plot, Rooney revealed that she had been sharing fake stories to her own Instagram stories after suspecting that one of her followers was leaking tales from her private account to the press. Rooney’s barrister David Sherborne tells the High Court, Vardy ‘appears to accept’ her agent Watt was the source of the allegedly leaked stories, and argues that a new witness statement submitted by Vardy suggests Watt was the source. The judge said: ‘In my judgment, the conclusions that I have reached as to the extent to which the claimant engaged in disclosing to The Sun information to which she only had access as a permitted follower of an Instagram account which she knew, and Mrs Rooney repeatedly asserted, was private, suffice to show the single meaning is substantially true.’

WAGatha Christie star Rebekah Vardy's first husband Mark Godden claims she was found in bed with another man. Rebekah has always denied it.

“When I confronted her she brushed it aside saying, ‘Don’t be so stupid!’.” Rebekah has always denied the allegations. We want to hear all about it. Have you got a story to share? Family stayed two weeks but as soon as they left and we had a final week alone, Becky changed.” So much so that her recent failed libel battle with Coleen Rooney was cleverly dubbed WAGatha Christie in honour of Coleen's super-sleuthing. Buy it for me!”

Rebekah Vardy has lost her "Wagatha Christie" libel trial against Coleen Rooney over a viral social media post.

Rooney said she posted a series of fake stories about herself on Instagram with a view to finding out who had been leaking information about her, blocking everyone apart from one person on her account from seeing the posts. Vardy, the wife of Leicester City striker Jamie Vardy, took Rooney, the wife of England's record goal scorer Wayne Rooney, to court after she was accused of supplying the media with private information about Coleen Rooney. It came after Rooney had staged an elaborate sting operation to find out who was passing on stories about her private life. Rebekah Vardy has lost her "Wagatha Christie" libel trial against Coleen Rooney over a viral social media post.

Ruling deals blow to reality star's reputation and underlines the threat to social media users from libel claims.

The trial began in May, and lasted for a week, with judge Mrs Justice Steyn sharing her ruling on Friday afternoon. She ruled that it was “likely” that ...

and it is what she believes even more so now that we have got to the end of the case.” She concluded: “In my judgment, the conclusions that I have reached as to the extent to which the claimant engaged in disclosing to The Sun information to which she only had access as a permitted follower of an Instagram account which she knew, and Mrs Rooney repeatedly asserted, was private, suffice to show the single meaning is substantially true.” She ruled that it was “likely” that Rebekah’s then-agent, Caroline Watt, “undertook the direct act” of passing the information to The Sun

The 40-year-old media personality had taken Coleen Rooney to the High Court.

These posts included a gender selection clinic in Mexico, Coleen's plan to work on TV and that the basement of her new mansion had flooded. The verdict comes following a lengthy legal battle between Coleen Rooney and Rebekah Vardy over the claims. "As I explained in my evidence I, my family and even my unborn baby, were subjected to disgusting messages and vile abuse following Coleen’s Post and these have continued even during the course of the trial.

Rebekah Vardy has lost the Wagatha Christie libel trial against Coleen Rooney and the verdict has prompted Gary Lineker to wade in with comments on social ...

Rooney said: “It was not a case I ever sought or wanted. "As I explained in my evidence I, my family and even my unborn baby, were subjected to disgusting messages and vile abuse following Coleen’s Post and these have continued even during the course of the trial. But the decision to take the disagreement to court for a seven-day trial has ended up costing her millions of pounds and increased the damage to her reputation.

Coleen Rooney has spoken out after winning the Wagatha Christie trial over Rebekah Vardy, saying 'it was not a case I ever sought or wanted'.

In her ruling, Mrs Justice Steyn said that while it was ‘likely’ that Vardy’s former agent Caroline Watt ‘undertook the direct act’ of passing information to Teh Sun, ‘the evidence… They continued for almost two years, intruding on my privacy and that of my family. ‘I bear in mind when assessing her evidence the degree of stress she was naturally feeling, given the high-profile nature of the trial, the abuse that she has suffered since the reveal post was published, and the length of time she was in the witness box.’ The judge added: ‘In my judgment, the conclusions that I have reached as to the extent to which the claimant engaged in disclosing to The Sun information to which she only had access as a permitted follower of an Instagram account which she knew, and Mrs Rooney repeatedly asserted, was private, suffice to show the single meaning is substantially true.’ ‘It was not a case I ever sought or wanted. clearly shows, in my view, that Mrs Vardy knew of and condoned this behaviour, actively engaging in it by directing Ms Watt to the private Instagram account, sending her screenshots of Mrs Rooney’s posts, drawing attention to items of potential interest to the press, and answering additional queries raised by the press via Ms Watt’.

An estimated £3 million legal bill, months in the glare of international media, and an untold number of memes. Rebekah Vardy transformed a social media spat ...

As Rooney is once again hailed as a heroic amateur detective who stood up for her rights, Vardy is cast as the villain. A story that did make it to print concerned a minor car crash had been involved in Coleen Rooney in the US in January 2019. “It is evidence of Ms Vardy’s willingness to provide information to the press about others within her circle which they would undoubtedly have preferred not to be disclosed”, ruled the judge. Rebekah Vardy transformed a social media spat into a full-scale war of the WAGs - and lost Vardy’s agent, Caroline Watt, who would go on to play a pivotal role, had fed her the denial, to say: “I never speak to anyone about you as various journalists who have asked me to over the years can vouch for. "The judge accepted that publication of Coleen’s post was not in the ‘public interest’ and she also rejected her claim that I was the ‘Secret Wag’. The judge concluded: “It is obvious from these messages, both when read in isolation and confirmed by reading them in the context of other exchanges between Ms Vardy and Ms Watt, that Ms Vardy provided information that she had derived from the private Instagram Account to Ms Watt, in the knowledge that Ms Watt would provide it to a journalist from The Sun.” She had to face her past marital struggles coming to the fore again, but confidently told the court of the robustness of her investigation: “It worked for me and I found out at the end which account was doing it.” When Rooney briefly unfollowed Vardy on Instagram, at a time when she was hunting for the leaker, Vardy angrily said to Watt: “What a c***” and added: “That c*** needs to get over herself!” Of the missing WhatsApp messages, the judge found: “I have found that Ms Vardy and Ms Watt have deliberately deleted or destroyed evidence.” In fact, the judge found Vardy “generally unwilling to make factual concessions, however implausible her evidence”, and when faced with compelling suggestions that she had a penchant for leaks – evidenced by comments like “would love to leak those stories” - she gave “wholly implausible” excuses. “And it illuminates the way in which Ms Vardy and Ms Watt worked collaboratively.”

'It is not the result that I had expected, nor believe was just,' Rebekah Vardy said after a judge dismissed her libel claim against Coleen…

“It’s … Rebekah Vardy’s account.” She said: “It was not a case I ever sought or wanted. The fake stories Mrs Rooney planted on her Instagram during the sting operation featured her travelling to Mexico for a “gender selection” procedure, her planning to return to TV, and the basement flooding at her home. Mrs Justice Steyn said in her ruling: “In my judgment, the conclusions that I have reached as to the extent to which the claimant engaged in disclosing to The Sun information to which she only had access as a permitted follower of an Instagram account which she knew, and Mrs Rooney repeatedly asserted, was private, suffice to show the single meaning is substantially true.” The libel battle came after Mrs Rooney publicly claimed that an account behind three fake stories in The Sun that she had posted on her personal Instagram account was Mrs Vardy’s. Mrs Vardy, who is married to Leicester striker Jamie Vardy, denied leaking stories to the media and sued her fellow footballer’s wife for libel, while Mrs Rooney defended the claim on the basis that her post was “substantially true”.

Following Coleen Rooney's triumphant win in the Wagatha Christie case, legal and PR experts have spoken about what could be next for her fellow WAG Rebekah ...

And doesn’t make the same mistake twice." After all, we’re all human." But the worst is likely over already. He added that due to the popularity of the case, many TV channels and producers "will be in contact but it’s always best to be strategic with who you work with when you’re in Vardy’s situation." Matthew Gill, senior associate in the media litigation team at Howard Kennedy LLP, said: “Vardy has scored an embarrassing own goal. It's believed the total cost is in the region of £3m, but brand expert Nick Ede explained that Rebekah will lose a number of opportunities too, and could lose up to £5million in revenue.

A High Court judge rules that "significant parts" of Rebekah Vardy's evidence are "not credible".

Mrs Justice Steyn said she accepted "the reveal post was on a matter of public interest... But she added: "The evidence... But she added: "It was not reasonable to believe that it was in the public interest to publish the reveal post, without taking any steps to put the allegation to Mrs Vardy and give her an opportunity to respond." "It is not the result that I had expected, nor believe was just. Firstly, Mrs Vardy's legal bill will be enormous. Mrs Justice Steyn concluded that Mrs Vardy had"a degree of self-deception" about her role in disclosing information to The Sun. "Although significant parts of Mrs Vardy's evidence were not credible, my assessment is that she is genuinely offended by the accusation made against her by Mrs Rooney in the reveal post." "In my judgement, it is likely that Ms Vardy deliberately deleted her WhatsApp chat with Ms Watt, and that Ms Watt deliberately dropped her phone in the sea," she said. But the judge said the likelihood that the loss of the phone was accidental was "slim". The judge said of Mrs Vardy that "significant parts of her evidence were not credible", while she added: "In my judgement, Ms Rooney was an honest and reliable witness." Mrs Justice Steyn said it was "likely" that Mrs Vardy's agent at the time, Caroline Watt, "undertook the direct act" of passing information to The Sun. Mrs Rooney said she was "pleased" the ruling had gone in her favour, adding "it was not a case I ever sought or wanted".

The world famous WAG first got married to Mark Godden when she was just 18 - but it only lasted six months.

"She quickly realised she shouldn't have married him and they agreed to separate. He said: "She used to spend all my money and thought nothing of buying £160 jeans, which was a lot all those years ago. Her rep said: "Perhaps his memory of the marriage isn't entirely clear as many of his claims aren't accurate. She moved into a promotions job and said she had an overnight job in London. That's when she slept with Peter Andre and later sold her story. He said: "When I confronted her, she brushed it aside saying, 'Don't be so stupid!'." She met Mark Godden, then 21, whilst working in a bar in Witney, Oxon, as he played on a local darts team.

Ex-husband of WAG Rebekah Vardy Mark Godden claims his former wife was accused of bedding a jet ski instructor while they were on their honeymoon when she ...

Family stayed two weeks but as soon as they left and we had a final week alone, Becky changed.” They share a son, Taylor. Becky looked beautiful and we had an amazing hotel.

Rebekah Vardy is in the spotlight after losing her libel case against Coleen Rooney in the so-called 'Wagatha Christie' trial.

Rebekah sought legal action against the wife of Wayne Rooney and her former pal Coleen after being publicly accused of leaking "false stories" to The Sun newspaper in 2019. Broadcaster Iain Lee claimed Rebekah Vardy made him "f****** miserable and isolated" when they both appeared on ITV show I'm A Celebrity...Get Me Out Of Here! in 2017. Three months later, Rebekah was pregnant with their first child and gave birth to daughter Sofia in 2014. Not long after the wedding, the couple moved into their eight-bedroom farmhouse in Lincolnshire which is surrounded by four acres of land and features an indoor pool, sauna, tennis court and gym. She has since apologised and said it is something she "deeply regrets". Struggling with her mental health, Rebekah got into trouble at school for fighting and drinking. Rebekah has since appeared in numerous shows and enjoys luxury holidays abroad. She then began dating Oxford United player Luke Foster with whom she shares son Taylor, born in 2010. Their marriage didn't last for long however, and they divorced just two years later. In 2014, Rebekah met Leicester City FC player Jamie Vardy while working as a nightclub promoter. The 40-year-old, who gained widespread attention following the famous Wagatha Christie trial, shared heartbreaking details of her childhood when her daughter Megan turned 15 in 2020. Her closest friends included Coleen Rooney, Dawn Ward as well as model and reality star Nicola McLean.

Judge Karen Steyn on Friday cleared Coleen Rooney of libeling Rebekah Vardy by claiming that Vardy had leaked her private social media posts to the tabloid ...

Watt’s phone, which was sought by Rooney’s lawyers as evidence, was reported to have fallen into the North Sea. The case, heard at the High Court in May, was a media sensation. In an October 2019 social media post to almost 2 million followers, she revealed: “It’s ................ Rebekah Vardy’s account.” Both women testified during the trial, with Vardy several times breaking down in tears. The stories — including one about a fictitious basement flood at the Rooneys' house and another reporting Coleen Rooney was trying to revive her TV career — duly appeared in The Sun. The case has reportedly cost each side more than 1 million pounds ($1.2 million) in legal fees. Then there was the amateur detective work that led to Rooney’s accusation. Vardy’s lawyers said Watt’s health was too fragile for her to take the stand. “Nothing of which Mrs. Vardy has been accused, nor any of the findings in this judgment, provide any justification or excuse for subjecting her or her family, or any other person involved in this case, to such vitriol,” Steyn said. The judge was scathing about Vardy’s credibility as a witness, saying some of her evidence was “manifestly inconsistent with the contemporaneous documentary evidence, evasive or implausible.” Rooney, in contrast, was “honest and reliable,” the judge said. In a devastating blow to Vardy, who launched the libel suit to defend her reputation, the judge said Rooney's allegation was “substantially true.” Steyn said it was likely that Vardy's agent, Caroline Watt, had passed Rooney's private information to The Sun newspaper, and that ”Mrs. Vardy knew of and condoned this behavior." V ardy, who sued after Rooney accused her in 2019 of sharing private Instagram content with The Sun, said she was “extremely sad and disappointed at the decision.”

Rebekah Vardy probably isn't buzzing at the ruling, a character assassination that has left her well and truly stung by libel.

She didn’t even blink at references to her husband’s repeated infidelities, didn’t stumble under questioning, but conducted herself like someone who truly has the courage of her convictions, and her convictions are that you don’t cross Coleen or her family. Rooney took a big risk in publicly accusing Vardy – or, to be precise “It’s………Rebekah Vardy’s account” – of leaking stories about her to the tabloids, because in English law the burden of proof falls on the person who made the defamatory claim. Vardy, by contrast, was more like a character on Dynasty, hysterically crying and collapsing in the witness box as Rooney’s barrister, David Sherborne, repeatedly read out her own words, from Vardy traded private details of her husband’s colleagues and their wives in the hope of currying positive coverage in the media. And like Streisand – who sued a website for featuring an image of her house, thereby drawing the world’s attention to it – she believed going to court was the best way to control her image. Like Wilde – who sued the Marquess of Queensberry for revealing his homosexuality – Vardy went to court to deny something that a rock could see was true: she’d passed on private stories about Rooney to the press.

It is thought that Rebekah Vardy could be forking out up to £2million after losing her Wagatha Christie trial with Coleen Rooney.

‘It was not a case I ever sought or wanted. They are almost never 100% of the final bill. Explaining the next steps, he adds: ‘At this point the costs of the case are unknown, but the usual result is that the losing party pays for the winner’s costs. ‘The judge accepted that publication of Coleen’s post was not in the “public interest” and she also rejected her claim that I was the “Secret Wag”. But as for the rest of her judgment, she got it wrong and this is something I cannot accept.’ Although, Vardy was vocal about her thoughts on the judge’s ruling in a statement issued after the verdict was announced, and it seems she does indeed believe she ‘got it wrong.’ Rebekah Vardy was left ‘extremely sad and disappointed’ after losing her libel trial to Coleen Rooney, with the judge ruling in the favour of her former friend.

Lawyers have said the verdict should be a warning to those concerned with their reputations that libel action must always be a 'last resort'

“Bringing the case backfired – she brought the claim ostensibly to protect her own reputation but has instead seen it left in tatters,” he said. She said it was unnecessary to do so given her findings on truth,” said Mr Gardner. “Having said that, often the best policy is not to engage in legal action.” She will receive no payout and Rooney may even be entitled to damages of her own. “Presumably, Vardy thought it was a way of silencing Rooney, a bluff which did not pay off. “Bringing a libel claim is a high-risk strategy at the best of times.

BBC BREAKFAST viewers took to social media on Saturday after the show aired coverage of the Coleen Rooney and Rebekah Vardy libel case.

However, viewers hit back with fury after they expressed they didn’t care about the case. Speaking on the result Vardy stated: “It is not the result I had expected, nor believe was just, she got it wrong and this is something I cannot accept. She concluded the evidence Vardy provided was “Not credible.” In February, Vardy made a tearful appearance on ITV’s Loose Women to deny the claims and in June she launched the libel case. BBC BREAKFAST viewers took to social media on Saturday after the show aired coverage of the Coleen Rooney and Rebekah Vardy libel case. Following the final judgment of the case, Foster suggested both parties “particularly Rebekah Vardy” would be “going away to lick their wounds.”