Tuesday 17 May 2022 09:16 AM Wayne Rooney's husband gives evidence in 'Wagatha Christie' trial trends now
Wayne Rooney is today expected to give evidence in the bombshell 'Wagatha Christie' libel case, one day after his wife Coleen Rooney described messages between Rebekah Vardy and her agent about her as 'just evil'.
Coleen, 36, has accused Rebekah, 40, of leaking 'false stories' about her private life in October 2019 after she said she carried out a months-long 'sting operation' - and the £3million High Court trial is now in its final few days.
Rebekah denies the allegations and has sued the fellow footballer's wife over the 'untrue and unjustified defamatory attack', with the last of the defence witnesses - including Rooney - set to give evidence today.
After walking into the witness box of the Royal Courts of Justice's Court 13 on Friday, Coleen finished her evidence yesterday, and responded to questions about Rooney's 'misbehaving' and arrest for drink drinking.
Wayne Rooney and Coleen Rooney (left) and Rebekah Vardy (right) at the Royal Courts of Justice in London yesterday
Coleen and Wayne Rooney arrive at the Royal Courts of Justice in London yesterday as the high-profile libel battle continues
Hugh Tomlinson QC, for Rebekah, referred to an article which told of Rooney's arrest for drink driving, when he was caught with another woman in the car.
The barrister said it was 'another apparent crisis' in their relationship and that Rooney had been 'misbehaving'.
Coleen replied: 'Yes there has been a few, it's unfortunate that things have happened in my life and they get publicised, and it has happened quite a few times and I have dealt with it - we have dealt with it as a couple and as a family.'
Mr Tomlinson referred to a 'supportive' message sent around that time from Rebekah to Coleen, saying there was 'nothing suspicious' about it.
Coleen said: 'I already had suspicions ... so as time went on things just seemed to add up. When there were tough times going on, I did feel like Mrs Vardy would message me.'
She added: 'Obviously, having the suspicions that I had, I felt like it was a bit of fishing for information.'
Coleen was also asked about the aftermath of her 'reveal' post and Rebekah's response.
Mr Tomlinson said: 'She makes it clear to you that it wasn't her, doesn't she?'
'She says she has zero interest in what's going on in my life, which I believe is totally untrue,' Coleen replied. 'She talks about me a lot... so that was a lie,' she added.
Coleen then discussed WhatsApp messages the court had heard between Rebekah and her agent Caroline Watt - in which Coleen featured.
She said she had never met or spoken to Ms Watt, commenting on the agent's exchanges with Rebekah: 'The messages that went on between them were just evil and uncalled for.'
'There's no need for it, I've never done anything to them,' Coleen added.
She later said she had a lot of people contacting her immediately after the post, and Mr Tomlinson said people online were calling her 'Wagatha Christie'.
She responded: 'Yeah, which I just think is ridiculous. I got a lot of people sending me pictures, screenshots and obviously people didn't realise how serious what was behind it was.
'I felt it was hard and people I trusted and people I had let into my circle were going against me.'
A court artist's sketch of Coleen Rooney at the witness stand at the High Court yesterday as Mrs Justice Steyn listens
Another court artist's sketch of Coleen Rooney at the Royal Courts of Justice in London yesterday as she gives evidence
A third artist's sketch of Coleen Rooney, watched by Rebekah Vardy, being spoken to by barrister David Sherborne yesterday
The trial comes after a widely-shared social media post in October 2019, in which Coleen Rooney said she had carried out a 'sting operation' and accused 40-year-old Rebekah Vardy of leaking 'false stories' about her private life to the press
Leicester City's Jamie Vardy during his side's Premier League match against Watford at Vicarage Road on Sunday
She added: 'I have never spoke about this until this case, so I haven't dwelt on it, to be honest with you I have hated every minute of it.'
Rebekah Vardy's evidence about why she sat behind Coleen Rooney at a football match is 'simply untrue', a former Football Association (FA) employee has told the High Court.
Harpreet Robertson, a former ticketing manager and family liaison officer for the FA, was questioned over the seating arrangements at one of England's matches at Euro 2016.
Coleen Rooney (front) and Rebekah Vardy (back) are pictured at the England v Wales football match at Euro 2016 in France
Ms Robertson told the court she believed Rebekah made a 'choice' to sit in seats behind Coleen at the match, alleging in her witness statement that Rebekah's evidence over this was 'simply untrue'.
In her own witness statement, Rebekah said: 'We went to a game one day and Coleen and her family were sitting in our seats. Rather than make a fuss we sat in the nearest seats available.'
Rebekah denied she had intentionally swapped seats to be seen near Coleen and in the pictures.
However in her witness statement, Mrs Robertson said: 'Becky never expressly refused to take the seats that she had been allocated, her guests did this instead, but it appeared that she wanted to be sat in the seats that were right in the eye line of anyone looking at, or photographing, Coleen.
'Indeed, her behaviour during the game suggested to me that her focus was little or nothing to do with the football match. I remember that Becky was constantly on her phone, often taking selfies and generally showing very little interest in the match itself.'
Ms Robertson added: 'The following morning, the tabloid papers were full of photographs of her sat directly behind Coleen. This was precisely the kind of media attention that the FA, and I, had tried to avoid.'
In her witness statement, Ms Robertson also said that she would reserve seats at matches for her and FA security team members, but found a number of people already sat in those seats.
She continued: 'I asked them to move but they refused and were incredibly rude and abusive to me, remarking words to the effect of 'we can sit where we like, f*** off'. An altercation followed which almost reduced me to tears. I soon realised that these people were the guests of Becky. Becky could plainly hear what was being said between me and her guests.'
Ms Robertson said she and the FA security team later sat
