Thursday 19 May 2022 05:31 PM Wagatha Christie trial: QC says Rebekah Vardy suffered 'public abuse' after ... trends now

Thursday 19 May 2022 05:31 PM Wagatha Christie trial: QC says Rebekah Vardy suffered 'public abuse' after ... trends now
Thursday 19 May 2022 05:31 PM Wagatha Christie trial: QC says Rebekah Vardy suffered 'public abuse' after ... trends now

Thursday 19 May 2022 05:31 PM Wagatha Christie trial: QC says Rebekah Vardy suffered 'public abuse' after ... trends now

Rebekah Vardy today cried in court again and embraced her solicitor as her jaw-dropping £3million Wagatha Christie libel battle with Coleen Rooney came to an emotional close.

The tearful WAG - who broke into tears a number of times while giving evidence - was seen throwing her hands around solicitor Charlotte Harris following the conclusion of the high-profile legal battle.

The emotional close to the trial - which has gripped the country since last Monday - came after barrister Hugh Tomlinson QC today told the court how Mrs Vardy had suffered 'public abuse and ridicule' on a 'massive scale' as a result of the Coleen Rooney's Wagatha Christie post.

Closing the Mrs Vardy's case on the final day of the high-profile libel battle, Mr Tomlinson told the court how his client had received 'the most horrific abuse' - including death threats - following the now-famous 'it's Rebekah Vardy's account...' reveal.

He also highlighted a number of messages to the high court, including one in which internet trolls had said Ms Vardy's baby deserved to be 'put in a microwave and ‘put in an incinerator’. 

Describing the impact of the bombshell post by Mrs Rooney on Rebekah, Mr Tomlinson said: ‘There was no urgency whatsoever. 

'Mrs Rooney could have blocked Mrs Vardy and made contact with Mrs Vardy to ask for her views, or she could have waited until after Mrs Vardy had given birth. 

‘She did neither and failed to give any proper or reasonable consideration to the possibility that the activity could be happening from Mrs Vardy’s account without Mrs Vardy’s knowledge.

‘The publication of the post to millions of readers was, in the circumstances, wholly unfair to Mrs Vardy who should have been given an opportunity to comment and explain her position in advance. ‘

Mr Tomlinson said as a result Rebekah suffered ‘the most horrific abuse’.  Mr Tomlinson said his client was entitled to ‘substantial damages in compensation for this defamatory publication.’

He said Rebekah had been ‘forcefully’ cross-examined by Mr Sherborne and found the experience ‘upsetting’.

‘It’s been a great burden on her for two and a half years and she was cross-examined in an aggressive fashion over a considerable period of time.'

The court heard that allegations that Rebekah Vardy plotted to leak stories were merely cases of ‘gossip’ and ‘tittle tattle'.

He said: 'This is really a falling-out of two individuals over what is essentially a private matter.

'The Whodunnit tone which she must have foreseen would have had a big impact, and did have an enormous impact, we do say it was unreasonable for her to do it in the manner in which she did.'

Mr Tomlinson QC said conversations between Rebekah and her agent Caroline Watt spoke about ‘leaks’ in message exchanges but had been using ‘loose language’.

He said: ‘The position is clearly that from time to time, Mrs Vardy and Miss Watt used the language of leaking. We say that in some cases that’s actually just loose language.

‘In reality, they’re gossiping. That’s a very different scenario than what’s been said against them.’

It comes as Ms Vardy today blamed her publicist for selling stories about Coleen Rooney and admitted she regretted calling Coleen a 'c**t' and her husband Wayne a 'sh*tehouse' in abusive messages - but insisted her rival's Wagatha Christie Instagram reveal was 'misconceived'.

Mrs Vardy's barrister Hugh Tomlinson QC said that his client is a victim - and now accepts the possibility that her friend and former agent Caroline Watt may have been the source of the leaks, declaring his client: 'Does not know to this day what happened' so is entitled to 'substantial damages' from Mrs Rooney.

The  libel trial has been brought by Mrs Vardy to 'establish her innocence and vindicate her reputation' after Mrs Rooney accused her personally leaking false stories to The Sun in October 2019.

As the Wagatha Christie trial came to a head, Rebekah Vardy's QC said: 

Mrs Vardy 'obviously made mistakes' including trusting her publicist Caroline Watt, and has accepted that she may have been 'the source' of the leaks;   Hugh Tomlinson QC claimed that Coleen's legal team had constructed an 'incredible' and 'wholly implausible' conspiracy theory in which Rebekah was a 'wicked litigant' at the heart of a plot to leak information about her private life to the media;  He dismissed the suggestion that Rebekah had deleted a handful of 'incriminating' messages to save her own skin; Mr Tomlinson said Rebekah was 'subject to lengthy, hostile and aggressive cross examination which she found difficult and stressful at times', and said she had brought the libel action to 'clear her name' after being abused by 'tens of thousands' on social media; Rebekah's lawyer defended Jamie Vardy's decision not to give evidence under oath, claiming WhatsApp messages prove that Wayne Rooney was talking 'nonsense' about the Wag's Euro 2016 media antics; He told the High Court that journalists who worked with Rebekah refused to give evidence in her £3million Wagatha Christie libel trial 'having taken legal advice' - but insisted this didn't prove that Rebekah was the source of the leaks;

Rebekah Vardy (pictured: Leaving court today) cried in court again and embraced her solicitor as her jaw-dropping £3million Wagatha Christie libel battle with Coleen Rooney came to an emotional close

Rebekah Vardy sketched in the High Court today where she was accused of lying and giving 'implausible' evidence. She left court today for an hour without explanation, returning with some Lucozade, her laptop and her lawyer

Rebekah Vardy sketched in the High Court today where she was accused of lying and giving 'implausible' evidence. She left court today for an hour without explanation, returning with some Lucozade, her laptop and her lawyer

Wayne and Coleen Rooney arrive at Manchester Airport on Thursday morning as the head out to Dubai with their children and her parents for a holiday on the final day of the libel trial

Wayne and Coleen Rooney arrive at Manchester Airport on Thursday morning as the head out to Dubai with their children and her parents for a holiday on the final day of the libel trial

Mr Tomlinson said 'Mrs Vardy has obviously made mistakes. One of them, the most serious, was to trust someone she shouldn't have' [referring to her agent Caroline Watt]. Another is the way she talked in private conversations with Ms Watt. She accepts she said things which, had she known they would come out in public, she would not have said.'

He added: 'This is a case about Mrs Vardy and the way she has been treated by thousands, maybe tens of thousands of people on social media… this goes on to this day. Even during this trial she's continued to receive abuse on social media.'

The barrister continued: 'Throughout this case, she (Mrs Vardy) has sought to find out the position. The very first thing she said to Mrs Rooney was 'send me the evidence, send me the posts. The suggestion that she is trying to hide something is quite wrong'.

Jamie Vardy blasted for failing to give evidence under oath in Wagatha trial... then releasing a statement slamming Wayne Rooney

Leicester City striker Jamie Vardy leaves the Royal Courts of Justice on Wednesday

Leicester City striker Jamie Vardy leaves the Royal Courts of Justice on Wednesday

David Sherborne highlighted the failure of Jamie Vardy to give evidence.

'Despite Mr Vardy not providing witness evidence to the Court, he was willing to make a statement outside the High Court on Day 6.'

Mr Sherborne read out Jamie's press statement from Friday which said: 'Wayne is talking nonsense. He must be confused because he never spoke to me about issues concerning Becky's media work at Euro 2016. There was nothing to speak about, I know this because I discuss everything with Becky.'

Added Mr Sherborne: 'Mr Vardy was perfectly willing to give a statement when not under oath but was apparently unwilling to provide one for the purposes of these proceedings (despite the fact that he was aware since 1 April 2022 that Mr Rooney was giving evidence), or else the Claimant [Rebekah] did not wish for his evidence to be tested.'

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Mr Tomlinson said Rebekah's libel dispute with Coleen was a 'very simple case' when 'one clears away the conspiracy theories', adding Mrs Vardy would have to be 'very clever or very cynical' to have deleted swathes of her WhatsApp back-ups. He also dismissed the suggestion that Rebekah had deleted a handful of 'incriminating' messages to save her own skin.

Her agent Caroline Watt's phone was dropped in the North Sea after the court asked for it to be handed over for examination. When this was referred to as Davy Jones' Locker last week, Ms Vardy admitted she didn't know what that meant.

'Has Mrs Rooney proved that Mrs Vardy leaked the information from her post that she's accused of leaking?' Mr Tomlinson said. He added: 'Mrs Vardy's case is and always has been that she did not leak the information nor did she authorise anyone else to leak. She does not know to this day what happened,' Mr Tomlinson said, adding: 'She does not know where this information came from.'

Referring to the laptop that was 'destroyed' by Rebekah - which Mr Sherborne listed in a 'series of unfortunate events' of lost evidence - Mr Tomlinson said it 'doesn't make sense'.

'If Mrs Vardy is the cynical deleter of evidence that Mr Sherborne makes out', he said, 'a more logical response from her would be to say she threw the laptop out straight away, not wait until it was requested for forensic examination.'

He said the court must consider whether throwing away the laptop was the 'concealment of evidence' or doing what 'any of us would do', with Vardy simply throwing away a broken laptop.

Referring to Ms Watt's phone which was dropped into the North Sea – he said it was not claimed that Rebekah had thrown the phone into the sea in a bid to conceal evidence, or had anything to do with its loss.

He said 'we have no way of knowing' if this was done to destroy evidence or an accident.

'Mrs Vardy doesn't know... and this can't be used against her,' he said.

Hugh Tomlinson QC told the court that Mrs Vardy wanted to be 'vindicated' that she was not the person who leaked Mrs Rooney's private information.

He highlighted the 'negative impact' the case had had on Mrs Vardy, adding: 'The media is full of jokes about this case.'

'This is a case about Mrs Vardy and the way that she has been treated by thousands, perhaps tens of thousands, of people on social media. She has been subjected to abuse that goes on to this day,' Mr Tomlinson said.

He added that Mrs Vardy had continued to receive abusive messages during the trial at the High Court.

'This is about her trying to do something about that so she can move on with her life,' Mr Tomlinson said.

 Mr Tomlinson QC said: 'People have different views, people behave in different ways. Mrs Rooney thought Mrs Vardy was suspiciously friendly, but people behave in different ways.'

Later, discussing The Sun newspaper and Mrs Rooney, the barrister said it was 'a newspaper that she clearly loathes' and that Mrs Rooney may disapprove of the way Mrs Vardy had sometimes been featured in it.

'One can see why Mrs Rooney thinks that but it is not a basis for making an allegation of the kind that was made,' Mr Tomlinson said.

Mr Tomlinson added: 'Mrs Vardy has made mistakes. Perhaps the most serious of these may have been to trust Ms Watt as her agent.'

Mr Tomlinson denied that Rebekah and Ms Watt had 'an obsession with the Rooneys' and pointed out that 'less than one per cent' of the messages between them concerned the Rooneys.

Of the 1200 pages of messages between the two women, only 10 pages had any messages concerning Coleen or Wayne.

'Once that is taken into account, the case can be seen in a completely different light,' he said.

Rebekah Vardy 'lied under oath', gave 'implausible' evidence that 'cannot be trusted' and deleted incriminating WhatsApp messages in a fatally flawed libel action she brought against her rival Coleen that should never have made it to the High Court, Mrs Rooney's barrister declared today.

Rebekah Vardy has said she was wrong to trust her friend and agent Caroline Watt (left), who has been too ill to attend the trial, accusing her of leaking stories about Coleen

Rebekah Vardy has said she was wrong to trust her friend and agent Caroline Watt (left), who has been too ill to attend the trial, accusing her of leaking stories about Coleen

Celebrity lawyer David Sherborne claimed Mrs Vardy's case had 'disintegrated' during the week-long trial in an eviscerating attack on the wife of Premier League footballer Jamie Vardy at the Royal Courts of Justice.

Mr Vardy also came in for criticism, with Mr Sherborne accusing him of not being willing to be called as a witness so he could avoid giving evidence under oath. Instead he gave a statement outside accusing Wayne Rooney of talking 'nonsense' about his wife.

Mrs Rooney's bronzed barrister, who has also represented Meghan Markle, Johnny Depp, Kate Moss, Sir Paul McCartney and Sienna Miller, said: 'It's not lost on the court, I'm sure, that Mr Vardy was perfectly willing to give a statement not under oath but apparently not willing to provide one for the process of these proceedings.'

What happens if someone lies under oath? Britons can be jailed for SEVEN YEARS for not telling 'the whole truth and nothing but the truth'

What is perjury?

The law on perjury is set out in the Perjury Act 1911. It  explains that perjury is when you have lawfully sworn as a witness or interpreter in a judicial proceeding to tell the truth - but are found to be lying.

What happens if someone is convicted? 

The punishment for perjury in the UK usually ends in a prison sentence. There are also fines of up to £10,000.

It is triable in a court and and the charge is imprisonment of a term not exceeding 7 years, or a fine, or both.

In 2011 disgraced politician Tommy Sheridan was jailed for three years for perjury. 

How can you beat a perjury charge?

The key defence is if a defendent can prove they were unaware that what they were saying was not true - even if it is found to be false. 

Or if they can prove they weren't wrong in the first place. 

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Mr Sherborne said that Mrs Vardy's case had 'almost entirely disintegrated' over the course of the trial, which entered its seventh and final day today.

He added: 'Anyone could be forgiven for wondering how on earth this case has been allowed to get this far. She [Coleen] finds herself at the end of a seven-day libel trial, and for what?'

Mr Sherborne said: 'Mrs Vardy was a highly unreliable witness. Her evidence should be treated with the utmost caution. Its accuracy simply cannot be trusted. The contrast in the way Mrs Rooney gave evidence could not have been clearer.'

He said Coleen 'had been honest' while Rebekah's 'evidence was 'ill-considered and lacking in candour'.' He said Mrs Vardy's memory had been 'selective' as she gave evidence.

Referring to the 'disappearance' of the WhatsApp messages between Rebekah and her agent and publicist Caroline Watt, central to the case, Mr Sherborne said her explanation that the loss happened during export to her solicitors was 'impossible.'

The fact Ms Watt's phone was 'dropped in the North Sea' during a trip to Scotland was 'fishy enough', Mr Sherborne said.

'There is only one conclusion and that is that Mrs Vardy deleted the WhatsApp chat and it was a deliberate lie to cover up her wrongdoing. There is no other plausible explanation. The only conclusion the court can reach is that she deleted the WhatsApp chat and then lied under oath about it', he told Mrs Justice Steyn.

Mrs Vardy, who left the courtroom with a laptop in hand about half an hour after the hearing started this morning and returned with a bottle of Lucozade an hour later, says she brought the case so she could clear her name and 'establish her innocence and vindicate her reputation' after Mrs Rooney accused her personally leaking false stories to The Sun in the now infamous Wagatha Christie Instagram post in October 2019.

'The burden lies on us to establish on a balance of probabilities that the post is substantially true. It is what she [Coleen] believed at the time... and it is what she believes even more so now that we have got to the end of the case', Mr Sherborne said.

Finishing his statement he said: 'Mrs Rooney was right in what she said in her reveal post, and she still is'. 

Mr Sherborne told the court:  

Rebekah Vardy was a 'highly unreliable witness' whose memory was 'selective' while Coleen Rooney 'had been honest', court hears. Mrs Rooney's legal team accused her of lying and deliberately deleting WhatsApp messages; Coleen Rooney's barrister David Sherborne also had a go at Jamie Vardy after the Leicester City striker complained about allegations of his wife Rebekah's media antics outside the Royal Courts of Justice - but did not give evidence under oath; Mr Sherborne claimed Mrs Vardy had carried out 'targeted' deletions of her WhatsApp messages with agent Caroline Watt and said a 'substantial' amount of vital evidence had been lost in the case due to 'deliberate deletion'. He told the High Court that even Rebekah's own expert' had concluded the way the data has been lost was 'surprising' saying there was 'no plausible explanation for this'; Sherborne told the High Court that Rebekah had a 'long history of setting up fake staged' photos and pointed out how she initially denied organising the pap opportunity in Russia before claiming she couldn't remember the incident;  The court heard that Rebekah and her publicist Caroline Watt are the 'only possible suspects' for leaking Coleen's gender selection and flooded basement posts to the media, and that it is 'clearly more than probable' that they secretly passed on information about Coleen's 2019 'car crash';   Mr Sherborne said Rebekah's excuse that she didn't reply to Caroline Watt's 'it was me' text because she was watching Dancing On Ice is 'implausible' and 'inconsistent'. She claimed that 'the word 'leak' comes so easily from Mrs Vardy's mouth';  The barrister claimed the Wag had carried out 'targeted' deletions of her WhatsApp messages with Caroline Watt and said a 'substantial' amount of vital evidence had been lost in the case due to 'deliberate deletion'; Mrs Vardy left the courtroom with a laptop in hand about half an hour after the hearing started this morning. She was missing for at least an hour before returning with a bottle of Lucozade just before lunch; MailOnline revealed that Coleen and Wayne Rooney have gone on their summer holidays with their four sons. The case was meant to finish yesterday. A source said: 'It's been a long and gruelling process for both Wayne and Coleen and they didn't want to disappoint their children';

Flanked by security, Rebekah Vardy, wife of Jamie Vardy, arrives at the Royal Courts of Justice today, on the final day of her Wagatha Christie libel trial

Today Coleen's barrister David Sherborne accused her of lying under oath

Flanked by security, Rebekah Vardy, wife of Jamie Vardy, arrives at the Royal Courts of Justice today, on the final day of her Wagatha Christie libel trial. Today Coleen's barrister David Sherborne (right) accused her of lying under oath. She left the court soon afterwards for an hour

Coleen Rooney's barrister David Sherborne is seen behind an empty bench where Coleen and Wayne Rooney had been seen on previous days

Coleen Rooney's barrister David Sherborne is seen behind an empty bench where Coleen and Wayne Rooney had been seen on previous days

The smiling Rooneys leave court as legal experts suggested the case was going their way on Wednesday. Today MailOnline revealed that they were off on holiday with their children believing the trial would be over by now - but it overran

The smiling Rooneys leave court as legal experts suggested the case was going their way on Wednesday. Today MailOnline revealed that they were off on holiday with their children believing the trial would be over by now - but it overran

Mrs Vardy says she brought the case so she could clear her name and 'establish her innocence and vindicate her reputation' after being accused of personally leaking Mrs Rooney's Insta stories to The Sun

Mrs Vardy says she brought the case so she could clear her name and 'establish her innocence and vindicate her reputation' after being accused of personally leaking  Mrs Rooney's Insta stories to The Sun

Mrs Vardy says she brought the case so she could clear her name and 'establish her innocence and vindicate her reputation' after being accused of personally leaking  Mrs Rooney's Insta stories to The Sun

Jamie Vardy (pictured with his wife on Wednesday) got a hammering in court for being willing to release a statement slamming Wayne Rooney - but not giving evidence in the case. He was not in court today due to a Leicester fixture tonight

Jamie Vardy (pictured with his wife on Wednesday) got a hammering in court for being willing to release a statement slamming Wayne Rooney - but not giving evidence in the case. He was not in court today due to a Leicester fixture tonight

David Sherborne claimed he had proved that Rebekah Vardy had 'regularly and frequently' leaked information to The Sun about his client and others in her sphere.  He said: 'Just because she [Vardy] was not the one who pulled the trigger on occasion, it does not mean she was not responsible'.  

Mr Sherborne also said the court 'can and should conclude' that the loss of WhatsApp messages between Rebekah Vardy and her publicist Caroline Watt was 'the result of deliberate deletion'. 'The loss of documents is substantial in this case,' he said. 

Mr Sherborne said these were deliberately deleted - despite claims from Vardy they were lost accidentally.

He described the case as a 'deliberate trail of destruction' and a 'series of improbable events'.

Vardy's suggestion that a 'new phone' was responsible for the loss of messages is 'wholly unsupported by the evidence' said Mr Sherborne, with no evidence a new device was used to log into Instagram.

'If there was no new device, and the experts are agreed that there was not, then the only explanation is manual deletion,' he added.

Rebekah Vardy left court at start of Day 7 clutching a laptop followed by her lawyer

Mrs Vardy did not face her rival in the courtroom today - and missed a chunk of proceedings

Mrs Vardy did not face her rival in the courtroom today - and missed a chunk of proceedings

Rebekah Vardy left the courtroom with a laptop in hand about half an hour after the hearing started.

She listened to Mr Sherborne's speech, in which he accused her of lying under oath, with an angry look on her face and then swept out of court at 11.07am, long before the morning break and has not returned. 

When she arrived in court, before the proceedings began, Rebekah gave a Sun reporter a piece of her mind, telling him that this morning's front page story about the Vardys leaving the country for the US was 'cruel.'

She listened to Mr Sherborne's speech, in which he accused her of lying under oath, with an angry look on her face and then swept out of court at 11.07am, long before the morning break and had not returned at Midday.

 

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He said Rebekah deleted the messages to 'cover up the collusion' between her and Ms Watts, claiming they had been 'corrupted' during the exporting process.

'She says the WhatsApp export was carried out on an old laptop which stopped working between October and December 2019 and no longer functions,' says the lawyer.

When Coleen's legal team asked to forensically examine the laptop they were told it had been 'disposed of' by Rebekah because it 'had been damaged beyond repair'.

'No explanation has been given for this deliberate destruction of evidence', he said.

'She could not recall when she actually destroyed the laptop but accepted it was after she had been told to preserve everything.'

Then, the fact Ms Watt's phone was 'dropped in the north sea' during a trip to Scotland is 'fishy enough', Mr Sherborne said.

'If Ms Watt's phone had not been destroyed then the claimant's messages (including all media files) would have been accessible. It was therefore necessary for both to be destroyed to properly cover up any wrongdoing and conceal discovery.  RIP Ms Watts phone'.

He then pointed to the fact that the court had also not heard evidence from agent Caroline Watt who he alleged 'clearly had repeated contact with these journalists'. Ms Watt had a 'hand-in-glove' relationship with Mrs Vardy, Mr Sherborne claimed, adding: 'No Caroline Watt is like Hamlet without the Prince of Denmark'.

Rebekah said in evidence that in her WhatsApp messages she had 'used the word 'leak' where I probably shouldn't use the word 'leak',' .

Mr Sherborne said she had just 'doubled down on her excuses' in 'another feat of linguistic gymnastics'.

He accused her of 'deliberately lying' and her contemporaneous messages should be given more weight than her oral evidence in the witness box.

Examining messages from Rebekah to her agent on the Danny Drinkwater leak, she said 'I want paying for this x'.

He said: 'This is just another example, as with Mr Andre, where she is trading money for private information.'

Turning to the 2018 World Cup and the staged photo of Rebekah and eight other WAGs outside a St Petersburg restaurant, Mr Sherborne said she initially denied any involvement in the incident in her witness statement to the court.

'Once we had seen the messages between her and Ms Watt, this was inconsistent with her sworn statement. She then said she did not remember the incident.

'It was hard to keep up with her explanations as she gave evidence in relation to this leak. Her case shifted at every stage with further and more fanciful explanations being made in the witness box.'

Mr Sherborne described Rebekah's explanation that she 'leaked' information about her own miscarriage 'utterly hopeless'.

On 6 August 2019, she messaged Ms Watt about an unidentified girl: 'She's gone and done it now leak the Maldives stuff x'.

An article which later appeared explained Danielle Lloyd had a miscarriage - there is no mention of the Maldives in that article, with the Maldives honeymoon reported on 11 April 2019.

Rebekah claimed she had not leaked anything about Ms Lloyd and said the word 'leak' should mean 'publish an article about her own miscarriage in Closer Magazine'.

'This makes no sense,' said Mr Sherborne.

'It's clear that she's telling Ms Watt to leak private information about someone else, the Maldives stuff. One can only dread to think what it was.'

Jamie Vardy (sketched in court on Tuesday) accused Wayne Rooney of talking 'nonsense' about an alleged conversation about his wife's conduct at Euro 2016 on another day of high drama evidence

Jamie Vardy (sketched in court on Tuesday) accused Wayne Rooney of talking 'nonsense' about an alleged conversation about his wife's conduct at Euro 2016 on another day of high drama evidence

Rebekah branded an 'unreliable witness' who told court 'implausible' evidence about 'bathing children' or watching Dancing on Ice in 'fanciful' claims from the witness stand

Addressing Rebekah Vardy's credibility in the case, David Sherborne said she had given 'implausible, throwaway explanations,' during her time in the witness box.

He added: 'These are the hallmarks of a witness whose evidence is ill considered and lacking in candour.'

Mr Sherborne later continued: 'We say Mrs Vardy was a highly unreliable witness and her evidence should be treated with caution.' 

It is 'clearly more than probable' that Rebekah Vardy and Caroline Watt secretly passed on information about Coleen Rooney's 2019 'car crash', the High Court has heard. 

The court previously heard that Coleen had posted a public tweet saying it was 'sad' someone who followed her was 'betraying' her after an article about her car being damaged appeared in The Sun. 

Mrs Vardy's publicist Caroline Watts sent her sensational message to Rebekah having read Coleen's angry post about the leak of the car crash story, saying: 'It wasn't someone she trusted – it was me'.

Mr Sherborne had asked Rebekah in cross-examination: 'You don't need to respond, do you, Mrs Vardy because you know exactly what she's talking about?

'After you've done the bathing of the children, if it was that important why didn't you come back and say, 'I've just read what you've written. I can't believe it. That's nonsense.' '

Rebekah told the court: 'Because if I may, my Lady, I have seen the conversation that follows, and without wanting to make fun of anyone it was actually Dancing on Ice, and Gemma Collins face-planting on the ice was the next message.

'That's what I had on in the background when I was bathing the children.'

Mr Sherborne said in his closing argument: 'The Claimant no longer persists with her explanation that it was all a joke

'The novel fallback argument that she missed the message because she was 'bathing the children' is implausible.

'Further, the later suggestion that she was watching Gemma Collins on a television programme called Dancing On Ice as she bathed them is inconsistent with her evidence in answer to an earlier question in cross-examination that she didn't really watch TV.'

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The case brought by Mrs Vardy, which has captivated millions and cost the WAGs a small fortune, was due to finish yesterday but went into extra time to allow barristers to prepare their final arguments at the Royal Courts of Justice. 

Rebekah arrived at the Royal Courts of Justice on The Strand at 10am, but was not accompanied by her husband Jamie who is playing for Leicester City against Chelsea tonight. She wore a £900 business-like black trouser suit with a green top. It was also the first time she wore her hair down and without sunglasses. She added a £5,000 heart-shaped rose gold Chopard diamond necklace around her throat.

The Rooneys are believed to have booked to go abroad believing it would all be over by now. The couple have sat through every day of the evidence but missed today's closing speeches because they had a holiday booked with their children Kai, Cass, Klay and Kit. 

The family were given permission from the judge to be absent. Mrs Justice Steyn will hear the final arguments today before publishing a written judgment in the coming weeks.

It's not known where the family are off for their sunshine break, but it has been timed for the end of the Championship season, which saw manager Wayne's Derby County relegated to League One after finishing second from bottom. Pre-season training will begin again in early to mid June.

The blockbuster trial has captivated millions with its twists and turns, and even split households into #TeamRooney or #TeamVardy factions.

The High Court trial centres around a viral social media post in October 2019, in which Coleen, 36, said she had carried out a 'sting operation' and accused Rebekah, 40, of leaking 'false stories' about her private life to the press.

Coleen, the wife of former England footballer Wayne Rooney, publicly claimed an account behind three fake stories she had posted on a personal Instagram account with The Sun newspaper was Rebekah's.

Rebekah, who is married to Leicester striker Jamie Vardy, denies leaking stories to the media and is suing her fellow footballer's wife for libel, while Coleen is defending the claim on the basis her post was 'substantially true'.

Over six days in courtroom number 13 at the Royal Courts of Justice, the pair have each given evidence, as has Rooney, also 36, who played for Everton and Manchester United and now manages Derby County.

Outlining Rebekah's case on May 10, her barrister Hugh Tomlinson QC said she had 'no choice' but to bring the case against Coleen so she could clear her name and 'establish her innocence and vindicate her reputation'.

David Sherborne, representing Coleen, told judge Mrs Justice Steyn that the case is essentially a 'detective story' and 'like any good detective story, you never find a person standing over the body with a smoking gun'.

He said there was 'inference', adding: 'You just have to conclude that it is more likely than not that Mrs Vardy was responsible, either directly or through Ms (Caroline - Mrs Vardy's friend and agent) Watt.'

Both footballers' wives have been seated just feet apart in court, in front of their barristers, for each day of the hearing. There was no hearing yesterday, but Rooney has attended every day. Vardy only appeared on Tuesday.

The fake stories Coleen 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.

In a now infamous post on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook, she 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.'

MailOnline readers on either #TeamVardy or #TeamRooney have called for the case to be televised - and joked about bringing out the popcorn rather than doing a day's work - while completely captivated by three days of Rebekah's extraordinary evidence, Coleen's debut in the witness box and star witness Rooney's testimony.

Others have obsessed over the rivals' expensive outfits as they arrive and the often comical court sketches of Rooney, whose drawn likeness has been compared to Lenin, Mike Tyson and even the humble Maris Piper potato.

In six days of evidence, Rebekah compared Peter Andre 's penis to a 'chipolata', and there were tears of laughter when she said arguing with Coleen was like arguing with a pigeon because 'it's still going to s**t in your hair'.

There were more laughs when Vardy was bamboozled by a reference to Davy Jones' Locker when the court heard her phone ended up at the bottom of the North Sea. Then Coleen revealed for the first time that she split from her husband Wayne, who blushed in court as she described how he was caught drink-driving with a 'party girl'.

The celebrity lawyers earning a fortune from the £3m Wagatha Christie case - and the judge who will make the final ruling in the libel action of the year

Meanwhile, David Sherborne (pictured), 53, who has been dubbed one of Hollywood’s favourite lawyers, is acting for Mrs Rooney

Hugh Tomlinson QC (pictured), who is representing Ms Vardy, is a top-flight privacy silk who has launched a number of battles with the Press in a wide-spanning career

David Sherborne (left), 53, is acting for Mrs Rooney. He has represented an array of stars including Johnny Depp in the London case. Hugh Tomlinson QC (right), who is representing Ms Vardy, is a top-flight privacy silk who has launched a number of battles with the Press in a wide-spanning career. He is a board member of campaign group Hacked Off.

Karen Margaret Steyn QC is sworn in as a Justice of the High Court in 2019

Karen Margaret Steyn QC is sworn in as a Justice of the High Court in 2019

David Sherborne

Mr Sherborne also has a reputation as the barrister the rich and famous turn to for legal assistance - his previous client list includes Diana, Princess of Wales, Hollywood actor Michael Douglas and former prime minister Tony Blair and his wife Cherie.

Mrs Rooney's barrister is no stranger to high-profile libel trials at the Royal Courts of Justice, notably representing Johnny Depp in the actor's 2020 libel claim against the publisher of the Sun, News Group Newspapers (NGN).

The barrister, called to the bar in 1992, has also represented dozens of claimants, including celebrities, suing NGN over phone hacking at the News Of The World.

Hugh Tomlinson QC

An experienced media barrister, Mr Tomlinson is at the front of Mrs Vardy's legal team in the libel case.

Called to the bar in 1983, his previous clients include the Prince of Wales in his legal battle against the Mail on Sunday over his diaries, easyJet founder Sir Stelios Haji-Ioannou and oligarch Roman Abramovich.

Mr Tomlinson, who became a QC in 2002, is a board member of campaign group Hacked Off.

Mrs Justice Steyn

The High Court judge overseeing the case, Mrs Justice Steyn (pictured right) was appointed in 2019 and sits in the Queen's Bench Division - the part of the High Court which deals with defamation, personal injury and breach of contract claims.

As well as overseeing the 'Wagatha Christie' claim, other prominent cases she has heard include Arron Banks' libel claim against journalist Carole Cadwalladr and the FDA union's unsuccessful legal challenge over Boris Johnson's decision to support Priti Patel following bullying accusations.

The daughter of former Law Lord Lord Steyn, Mrs Justice Steyn covered a variety of cases as a barrister, including a case over the expansion of Heathrow airport.  

 

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Day 6 - Jamie Vardy accuses Wayne Rooney of talking 'nonsense' about his wife before leaving early after Rebekah falls ill

The Vardys leave early

Rebekah Vardy (R) and her husband, Leicester City striker, Jamie Vardy (L) leave the Royal Courts of Justice early on Wednesday

Rebekah Vardy (R) and her husband, Leicester City striker, Jamie Vardy (L) leave the Royal Courts of Justice early on Wednesday

Rebekah Vardy dramatically left the Wagatha Christie libel trial early on Tuesday after her husband accused Wayne Rooney of 'talking nonsense' about them.

Jamie Vardy led his wife out of the High Court during a ten-minute interval.

Moments later, her legal team told the judge she had gone because she 'was not feeling very well'.

The Rooneys appeared in good spirits and were smiling as they left court at the end of the day's proceedings, as legal experts predicted the case was going their way.

Wayne Rooney: Roy Hodgson asked me to speak to Jamie about his wife

Wayne Rooney was the star witness on Day 6 of the Wagatha Christie trial

Wayne Rooney was the star witness on Day 6 of the Wagatha Christie trial

England manager Roy Hodgson (left) talks to Jamie Vardy (second left) as Wayne Rooney (second right) watches on during a training session at Stade de Bourgognes in Chantilly during the Euro 2016 tournament in France

England manager Roy Hodgson (left) talks to Jamie Vardy (second left) as Wayne Rooney (second right) watches on during a training session at Stade de Bourgognes in Chantilly during the Euro 2016 tournament in France

Wayne Rooney told the High Court there was 'a lot of negativity' surrounding Mrs Vardy's column for The Sun and so he agreed to ask Vardy 'to ask his wife to calm down'.

Rooney recalled sitting down with his teammate over a can of Red Bull and a coffee in the England squad's games room during the competition in France.

He said: 'I remember the conversation I had with Jamie. It was awkward for me to speak to a teammate about his wife. It wasn't my place to speak to Mrs Vardy. I was asked to speak to Mr Vardy and I followed those instructions.'

Rooney said he did not know whether Vardy had raised the issue with his wife, saying: 'If Jamie gives that information to his wife or not is not down to me.' He was asked whether he was certain the conversation took place and replied: 'I'm sat here under oath. I 100 per cent spoke to Mr Vardy on the situation. Again, if he wants to relay that back to his wife that's entirely his business.'

...but Jamie brands his evidence 'nonsense' 

After Wayne's evidence Jamie Vardy put out a statement denying it was true - but stopped short of accusing his former England teammate of perjury

After Wayne's evidence Jamie Vardy put out a statement denying it was true - but stopped short of accusing his former England teammate of perjury

Around two hours later, Vardy issued the statement through his wife's PR agent. He said: 'Wayne is talking nonsense. He must be confused because he never spoke to me about issues concerning Becky's media work at Euro 2016.

'There was nothing to speak about, I know this because I discuss everything with Becky.'

The Vardys arrived at court hand in hand, and continued to hold hands throughout most of the morning's hearing. Mrs Vardy, who wore a £1,100 navy trouser suit by US designer Veronica Beard, briefly rested her head on her husband's shoulder when they arrived back in the court after the lunch break.

They failed to reappear in court after the ten-minute mid-afternoon break, when Mrs Vardy's legal team announced she had left because she was feeling unwell. It was the second day in a row that the 40-year-old left early.

Wayne Rooney says Coleen became 'a different mother and a different wife' as she 'struggled' with fallout from her 2019 Wagatha Christie post

Wayne Rooney arrives at the Royal Courts of Justice on Tuesday morning before he gave evidence

Wayne Rooney arrives at the Royal Courts of Justice on Tuesday morning before he gave evidence

Wayne Rooney claimed his wife Coleen Rooney had become a 'different mother and a different wife', adding that she had 'really struggled' with the fallout from her notorious 'Wagatha Christie' post three years ago.

Rooney also revealed he was asked by England manager Roy Hodgson to request that Jamie Vardy asked his wife Rebekah to 'calm down' during Euro 2016 in France, as the £3million trial continued at the High Court in London. Court observers said there was 'lots of whispering' between Rebekah and Vardy during Rooney's evidence.

Rooney, the side's captain, said he was pulled aside by Hodgson and his assistant Gary Neville and asked to raise the 'awkward' issue with Vardy over concerns that Rebekah was 'causing problems and distractions' for the team. He told the court about the conversation with Vardy, saying: 'We were in the games room, there was table tennis. I spoke to him, he had a can of Red Bull and I had a coffee, I remember those details because it was so awkward.'

Speaking about Hodgson's request, Rooney said: 'They asked me to, as captain, would I be able to speak to Mr Vardy on issues regarding his wife and I think we all knew we spoke about it, it was an awkward subject.' Among the issues was the idea Rebekah had 'some kind of column in The Sun', the court heard. Rooney said the boss wanted him 'to ask his wife to calm down and not bring any issues off the field that were unnecessary'.

Rebekah's lawyer Hugh Tomlinson QC asked him: 'Ask his wife to calm down... she wasn't dancing on tables?' Rooney - who had earlier sworn to tell the truth while holding a Bible in his hand - said: 'No, I wasn't aware of that. It was a lot of negativity amongst a lot of media coverage which as a group of players and as the manager of England he didn't want that to happen, so he asked would I be able to speak to Jamie and I went and done so.'

Rooney added: 'I think there was a few things at the time with Rebekah which the leaders of the team asked me to speak to Jamie about. I was at the understanding Rebekah had a column in The Sun newspaper and as I state... I obviously had better things on my mind. It was obviously awkward for me.'

Coleen's 'fake' Instagram posts about gender selection in Mexico and a flooded basement

As part of the 'sting operation' Coleen Rooney planted three false stories on her private Instagram account, with the viewers restricted to only Rebekah Vardy's account, to see whether they would be leaked to The Sun newspaper. One of these stories was posted on April 8, 2019, with Coleen claiming she was travelling to Mexico to look into a procedure to determine a baby's sex. 'Let's go and see what this gender selection is all about,' Mrs Rooney posted, accompanied with a number of heart emojis

As part of the 'sting operation' Coleen Rooney planted three false stories on her private Instagram account, with the viewers restricted to only Rebekah Vardy's account, to see whether they would be leaked to The Sun newspaper. One of these stories was posted on April 8, 2019, with Coleen claiming she was travelling to Mexico to look into a procedure to determine a baby's sex. 'Let's go and see what this gender selection is all about,' Mrs Rooney posted, accompanied with a number of heart emojis

The post that resulted in a newspaper article headlined 'Wayne and Coleen Rooney's £20million 'Morrisons mansion' flooded during Storm Lorenzo'. The court heard that the post, only visible to Rebekah's Instagram account, showed a bottle of wine and was captioned: 'Needed after today… flood in the basement of our new house… when it all seemed to be going so well'

The post that resulted in a newspaper article headlined 'Wayne and Coleen Rooney's £20million 'Morrisons mansion' flooded during Storm Lorenzo'. The court heard that the post, only visible to Rebekah's Instagram account, showed a bottle of wine and was captioned: 'Needed after today… flood in the basement of our new house… when it all seemed to be going so well'

On January 22, 2019, Coleen Rooney posted a picture on her private Instagram, showing damage to her car after a collision. The next day Rebekah Vardy says in a WhatsApp message to Caroline Watt: 'She's a nasty b***h x' and 'I've taken a big dislike to her!... Would love to leak those stories x'. Rebekah claims her comments were not about Coleen

On January 22, 2019, Coleen Rooney posted a picture on her private Instagram, showing damage to her car after a collision. The next day Rebekah Vardy says in a WhatsApp message to Caroline Watt: 'She's a nasty b***h x' and 'I've taken a big dislike to her!... Would love to leak those stories x'. Rebekah claims her comments were not about Coleen

The three stories posted by Coleen Rooney on her private Instagram account as part of her 'Wagatha Christie' investigation were revealed in court documents as the bomshell £3million libel trial continued.

Coleen has said she planted the stories - two of which were fake - as part of a 'sting operation', with the viewers restricted to only Rebekah Vardy's account, to see whether they would be leaked to The Sun newspaper.

The true one of these stories revealed in the High Court papers in London this morning was posted by Coleen on January 22, 2019 when she uploaded a picture on the private account, showing damage to her car after a collision.

The next day Rebekah said in a message to her agent Caroline Watt: 'She's a nasty b***h x' and 'I've taken a big dislike to her!... Would love to leak those stories x'. Rebekah claims her comments were not about Coleen.

Rebekah Vardy 'gave a photographer access to her Instagram account so he could sell stories'

The court had previously heard Rebekah sat behind Coleen to 'maximise media attention'

The court had previously heard Rebekah sat behind Coleen to 'maximise media attention'

Rebekah Vardy gave a photographer access to her Instagram account so he could sell stories, the court heard.

Public relations consultant Penelope Addarewa told how she was in a bistro with 'a well known' person who she overheard discussing the matter with photographer Danny Hayward.

She said she was 'taken aback' after hearing the 'revelations.

Mrs Addarewa said the claim was made during a 10-15 minute conversation which took place in the aftermath of Coleen Rooney's bombshell post and the 'media storm that followed in October 2019.

She said: 'They were talking about Coleen and Rebekah and how it's all going off here'. Danny said Becky was keeping to her story or words to that effect. He was talking a lot about Becky. He was just so blaze. I was just taken aback. I was really surprised.'

The mystery man, known only as 'Y' in the court, was speaking to Mr Hayward had not arrived at the meeting but the conversation took place on a speakerphone.

She said in her statement: 'The topic of Mrs Rooney and Mrs Vardy came up during their 'chat'.

'I cannot recall what exactly got them on to the topic but I specifically recall Danny mentioning that he had a means of access to Mrs Vardy's Instagram account and how he had that means of access for a long time.

'Their discussion of this topic was promoted by Mrs Rooney's statement some days earlier. Danny seemed to be speaking as though he even had a means of access to Mrs Vardy's Instagram account at the time of the meeting.

'Danny also mentioned that he had been involved in the sale of stories using Mrs Vardy's Instagram account as the source for the story.

'Y and Danny did not discuss the specifics of any particular story but he spoke openly in general terms about the fact that stories were sold with Mrs Vardy's Instagram account as the source.

'I specifically recall Danny saying that Mrs Vardy was not only aware that Danny had a means of access to her account but also that she was well aware that access had been and was being used to take content and pass it to the press.

'This much was abundantly clear to me from listening to the exchange, though there was no express discussion of Mrs Vardy personally benefitting from a financial perspective and it would therefore be speculative for me to suggest so.'

She said the 'boasts' were said in a 'blaze' way. Mrs Adaarewa added: 'From the discussions between them it was clear to me that they all worked closely together regularly, including Caroline Watt, who had been scheduled to attend the meeting but who had not in fact attended, and that they had worked and collaborated together on what seemed like a number of matters in the past. '

She declined to give the name of the mystery man saying it was 'unfair' and she did not want to 'upset his work'. She said the meeting was unrelated.

Day 5 - Coleen lays bare her 'Scousetrap' plot that saw her accuse rival WAG Rebekah of leaking 'fake stories'

Euro 2016 seating row behind Coleen that led to a FA official being told to 'f**k off'

Coleen Rooney and Rebekah Vardy at the 2016 Group B match between England v Wales at Stade Bollaert-Delelis in Lens

Coleen Rooney and Rebekah Vardy at the 2016 Group B match between England v Wales at Stade Bollaert-Delelis in Lens

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.

Ms Robertson told the court she believed Mrs Vardy made a 'choice' to sit in seats behind Mrs Rooney at the match, alleging in her witness statement that Mrs Vardy's evidence over this was 'simply untrue'.

In her own witness statement, Mrs Vardy 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.'

Mrs Vardy denied she had intentionally swapped seats to be seen near Mrs Rooney 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'.

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'.

'Scousetrap' sting operation revealed by Coleen

A sketch by court artist Priscilla Coleman of Coleen Rooney, watched by her husband Wayne, as she gives evidence at the Royal Courts Of Justice

A sketch by court artist Priscilla Coleman of Coleen Rooney, watched by her husband Wayne, as she gives evidence at the Royal Courts Of Justice

Coleen said despite never being friends with Rebekah, she became suspicious of the rival WAG when she began 'fishing for information'. 

She said the 'Scousetrap' sting was not 'plucked out of thin air', saying she had thought long and hard before making the now-infamous social media post accusing Rebekah.  

Describing how her investigation began to gain momentum, Coleen said: 'There were a number of things that added up with the others. I didn't just pluck it out of thin air.

'I suspected this person was having a relationship with The Sun so I googled it, looked at past articles and saw the connection between Rebekah Vardy and The Sun.

'This thing was not just thought of overnight. I did think of it for a long time. As I've said I'm not one who just jumps on things.'

She said: 'I was trying to get more information and put it together with the information I already had. I came up with Rebekah Vardy. There was no other person who my private Instagram who was in a position to give this information to The Sun.

She added she became suspicious of Rebekah as she would 'regularly' message Coleen when there was press coverage about Wayne Rooney's wife.

Saying Rebekah was 'not in my circle', Coleen said: 'I felt like when she contacted me it was to try and get information out of me.'

Coleen Rooney ramped up her Wagatha Christie 'sting' amid reports of husband Wayne's 'misbehaving' with a barmaid  

Coleen admitted for the first time that she split from her husband Wayne and feared her marriage was over after he was caught drink-driving with 'party girl' Laura Simpson (pictured)

Coleen admitted for the first time that she split from her husband Wayne and feared her marriage was over after he was caught drink-driving with 'party girl' Laura Simpson (pictured) 

Coleen revealed how she personally doubled down in her secret 'Wagatha Christie' investigation when her husband Wayne was 'misbehaving' with a blonde barmaid during a ten-hour bender with teammates in Florida.

Coleen also admitted keeping her probe secret from the former England captain - as well as lying to Rebekah Vardy after being asked why she had unfollowed her on Instagram, as the women's £3million libel trial continued.

London's High Court heard the sting gathered momentum at a time when Rooney was 'misbehaving.' Asked if that was the case by Rebekah's barrister Hugh Tomlinson QC, Coleen replied: 'There's been a few unfortunate things that have happened and they have been publicised. It's happened quite a few times and I've dealt with it. We've dealt with it as a couple, as a family. There are a few things that have been publicised over a few years.'

Speaking of Rebekah's response to her 'troubles', Coleen said: 'I did feel that when there's tough times going on, I felt Mrs Vardy would message more. I felt It's when there are things in the news, she would message me and say How are you?'. I felt like it was fishing for information.'

The court heard one occasion when Rebekah went 'fishing for information' happened hours after her husband allegedly 'spent time' with the barmaid in Florida. Coleen told how Rebekah got in contact after The Sun told how she was threatening to quit the US and return to Britain after Rooney's encounter with Vicki Rosiek when he was playing for DC United in Washington.

Making contact with Coleen at lunchtime on February 11 2019, the day after the article appeared, Rebekah wrote: 'Hi my love! Hope you are ok! Just saw another s***ty story online! Can they not just leave you guys alone...I don't know how you do it! It's relentless...stay strong. Sending hugs.

Coleen replied: 'Thanks, just a pain in a**e...it's the kids half term so just gonna come home.' Messaging Coleen back, Rebekah wrote: 'It's a joke! Annoys me someone close to you is clearly selling you out! And for what...I don't blame you come home and be with your family'.

Rebekah's 'evil' messages

Texts between Caroline Watt and Rebekah Vardy in which they discuss Coleen unfollowing Rebekah and footballer Danny Drinkwater's arrest for drink-driving

Texts between Caroline Watt and Rebekah Vardy in which they discuss Coleen unfollowing Rebekah and footballer Danny Drinkwater's arrest for drink-driving 

Talking about Rebekah's frequent exchanges with her publicist Caroline Watt about her private life, which emerged during the libel case, Coleen said: 'She's got no need to talk about me. I just felt that the messages that went on between them are evil and uncalled for'. 

These included Rebekah apparently calling Coleen a 'c***' for unfollowing her on Instagram. 

Coleen told the judge: They're totally the opposite of the truth. I'm not a bad person. It's totally untrue. I didn't think there was any need for it/'It's nothing to do with them.'

She added of Rebekah: 'I didn't trust her - I didn't believe her. I did not believe a word that was coming out of her mouth.'

She said she wasn't trying to portray Rebekah as 'a valiant' and thought much of the response to her post was 'ridiculous'.

Coleen said she 'hated every minute' of the furore which erupted.

She accepted she had images on her phone which made light of the matter including references to the Scooby Doo gang 'unmasking a villain' and comparisons with Agatha Christie.

But she insisted she was not 'delighted' with the reaction to the post.

Coleen said: 'No I wasn't. I have never craved press attention. I have had it and I have accepted it. I have never drawn attention to myself.'

Coleen also told how she kept tabs on whether stories had been published about her during her investigation by making online checks. She said: 'Sometimes I do Google News and click my name in and articles come up.'

And Coleen told of her shock at receiving a legal letter of complaint about a month after the Wagatha Christie post. She said: 'I was quite spooked by that, I've never been in a position to be sent a lawyer's letter before. Any lawyer's letter would be threatening to me, I've never had one before.'

Asked about trolling directed at Rebekah after the post, she said: 'It was disgusting, I would never wish that on anyone.'

Coleen Rooney claims she 'hated every minute' of Wagatha Christie fallout

Coleen Rooney claimed that she 'hated every minute' of the Wagatha Christie fallout after accusing Rebekah Vardy of leaking 'fake' stories to the media, even though her £3million libel trial heard she saved a Scooby Doo meme about her 'unmasking the villain' saved on her phone.

The £3million libel trial heard Coleen saved a Scooby Doo meme about her 'unmasking the villain' saved on her phone

The £3million libel trial heard Coleen saved a Scooby Doo meme about her 'unmasking the villain' saved on her phone

Rebekah's barrister last week claimed that fellow Wag Coleen had revelled' in the national reaction to her bombshell October 2019 post.

But Wayne Rooney's wife told London's High Court that she thought much of the response to her post was 'ridiculous' and said she was 'not delighted' by the reaction. She insisted: 'I have never craved press attention in my life, I have had it and I have accepted it and I have tried to cope with it, and I have lived my life as best as I can in the public eye.'

Rebekah's lawyer Hugh Tomlinson QC said Coleen had used her fame for 'commercial purposes', to which she answered: 'Yeah I have been fortunate that things have come my way and I have took the opportunities and used them.

She said she had appeared in a Netflix documentary that was about Wayne, then added: 'I wanted to continue at school but the pressure became quite big at a young age.

'I felt like that was something that I could then control in a way and I think I have done a lot and obviously I haven't worked for a while because I have had children and I just wanted to be a mum. But I never wanted to be in the public eye, I was thrown into it and I have worked with it.'

Coleen didn't confront Rebekah before Wagatha Christie post 'because she didn't believe a word that was coming out of her mouth'

Coleen said she did not believe Rebekah would 'tell the truth anyway, even if I confronted her'. Asked whether the best thing to do would have been to warn her this was going on, she asserted that Rebekah had told a 'lot of lies'.

Crucially, she added that not only did she think it was Rebekah's account that was leaking stories to The Sun, but also Rebekah herself was aware. 'I believe she knew all along', she said.

In addition, Coleen told how she did not contact her rival after making her Wagatha Christie discovery as 'did not believe a word that was coming out of her mouth'.

Explaining why she made her 'It's… Rebekah Vardy's Account' post instead of contacting Rebekah, she told the court 'I thought maybe if I did approach her she might twist it and cover it up somehow and might not be truthful so I didn't give her the opportunity.'

Asked about Rebekah's response to the post she said: 'She said she had zero interest in what was going on in my life which I didn't think was true because she talks about me a lot. So that was a lie.'

Coleen used a photo of her niece to give Rebekah Vardy the false impression she was 'broody'

Coleen Rooney used a photo of her niece as part of the sting operation, the High Court heard.

She posted a photo of herself with her brother's daughter, captioned 'Broody', which she admitted under questioning from Rebekah's barrister Hugh Tomlinson, was to give the false impression to Rebekah that she longed for a baby girl.

The photographs were of her niece, the court heard, but her family would 'not know what I was doing with them'.

She said: 'I have photographs with the little girl but it doesn't say gender selection.'

Coleen explained that around that time she accepted a friend request, [from footballer Tom Cleverley] which is why some stories show they have been viewed by two people - including Rebekah.

Asked if she unblocked her other followers from her story shortly afterwards, Coleen said: 'Yes.'

She said this was so she could carry on with her holiday, and post things that she would normally post.

Coleen: I lied to Vardy when I unfollowed her - and wouldn't be bothered if she did the same to me

Coleen Rooney has admitted keeping her 'Wagatha Christie' probe secret from husband Wayne - as well as lying to Rebekah Vardy after being asked why she had unfollowed her on Instagram, as their libel trial continued.

Asked by Rebekah's lawyer Hugh Tomlinson QC at the High Court in London this morning why she had not told the ex-England captain about it, Coleen replied: 'One thing I don't do is put any troubles or worries on anyone else.

'I don't like to put pressure on anyone until I need to. That's what I've always done. I wanted to do it for myself without telling anyone. There's trust and there's trust. It was quite hard keeping it to myself but I had to do it if I wanted to find out who was doing it to me.'

During cross-examination about her actions, 36-year-old Coleen also told Mr Tomlinson at the £3million trial: 'Yes I did lie, it was a cover-up for what I was investigating, I had my suspicions.'

The court heard that Coleen unfollowed Rebekah in early 2019 and received a message a month later asking her if Rebekah had 'done something to offend you.' The court heard that on March 3 that year, Rebekah sent Coleen a note saying: 'I saw you had unfollowed me and I wasn't following you anymore on Instagram...just wanted to ask if I had done something or offended you in anyway? Literally only noticed the other day'.

Coleen admitted she 'told her a fib' in her reply, saying she 'didn't even know' - adding that her children used her phone often and she would check to see what happened. In fact, the court was told that she had deliberately unfollowed her because of concerns that stories were being leaked from her account.

Day 4 - Coleen reveals her marriage was on the rocks due to Wayne's naughtiness as Mrs Vardy breaks down in the dock over online hate

My marriage almost fell apart after Wayne's drink-driving, Coleen Rooney tells court

The Rooneys walking through a crowd of photographers as they left the Royal Courts of Justice on day four of the Wagatha Christie trial: Coleen made her first appearance in the witness box after Rebekah Vardy's tearful evidence

The Rooneys walking through a crowd of photographers as they left the Royal Courts of Justice on day four of the Wagatha Christie trial: Coleen made her first appearance in the witness box after Rebekah Vardy's tearful evidence

One day four of the trial Mrs Rooney, pictured here with her husband Wayne in a court sketch, battled wits with Rebekah Vardy's lawyer Hugh Tomlinson, QC

One day four of the trial Mrs Rooney, pictured here with her husband Wayne in a court sketch, battled wits with Rebekah Vardy's lawyer Hugh Tomlinson, QC

Coleen told the 'Wagatha Christie' libel trial how her marriage almost fell apart after her husband Wayne was caught drink-driving with a party girl.

Taking to the witness stand for the first time on day four of the £3million trial at the High Court, Mrs Rooney recalled the aftermath of the incident involving former office worker Laura Simpson in 2017, when she and their children stayed with her parents.

Mrs Rooney, who claims fellow Wag Rebekah Vardy leaked stories about her private life to the Press, said: 'I was in a vulnerable situation… I didn't know how my marriage was going to work out.

'Me and Wayne were trying to figure out our relationship and where we were going. But I didn't want the public to know that... I hadn't settled on: 'This is it, we are getting back together.'

She said she nearly split from former England striker Mr Rooney as she described the upset caused by a newspaper story stemming from a private Instagram post at the time, featuring her husband and their children in pyjamas.

Coleen: Sarah Harding caught Vardy taking pictures inside her handbag

Sarah Harding

Sarah Harding is said to have got into an argument with Rebekah after spotting her taking photos inside her handbag 

Rebekah got into a heated argument with Sarah Harding at the 2018 National Television Awards after the Girls Aloud singer spotted her rifling through her handbag, the High Court heard.

The story - which was published in several tabloid newspapers at the time - was mentioned by Coleen Rooney in written documents she submitted to the High Court as part of the £3million Wagatha Christie libel trial.

Coleen claimed: 'She got in a spat with former Girls Aloud group member Sarah Harding during the 2018 event because Sarah apparently caught Becky taking photographs of the contents of Sarah's handbag when Sarah had dropped it on the floor.

'Their dispute subsequently appeared in The Sun.' 

Message about my late sister made me 'sick', says Mrs Rooney

On another day of bombshell revelations in the trial, Mrs Rooney, 36,

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