Tuesday 4 October 2022 08:33 PM Rebekah Vardy taunts rival WAG Coleen Rooney saying she should donate £1.5m to ... trends now

Defeated wag Rebekah Vardy has taunted Wagatha Christie rival Coleen Rooney with a new Instagram post saying she should donate her £1.5million legal bills to charity.

The 40-year-old wife of Leicester City star Jamie Vardy has shared a picture of a money jar labelled 'charity' along with an extract from a report of the libel trial saying: 'She'd be far happier to see the money they would have spent on lawyers being sused in a more positibe and productive way.'

Mrs Vardy has also written on the picture herself, telling Mrs Rooney: 'Let's hope you put your money where your mouth is and some good can come of this whole embarrassing spectacle!'

It comes after she earlier shared an image on her private Instagram account which said: 'It's always the ones with the dirty hands pointing the fingers.'

It is not clear who or what the post is referring to. But it comes just hours after it was revealed that Ms Vardy faces paying a mammoth legal bill of around £3.7 million after she was ordered to pay most of Ms Rooney's costs in their High Court defamation battle - dubbed the libel 'trial of the century'.

She had taken to social media throughout the course of the trial to make thinly-veiled digs at Ms Rooney, including once saying that quarrelling with Coleen was like 'arguing with a pigeon' and that regardless who is right, the bird would still 's*** in your hair.'

Ms Vardy must pay £800,000 of her settlement to Coleen by November 15 - months after the pair's libel showdown. Coleen's overall legal bill for fighting the libel case was revealed to be just over £1.6 million.

In addition, Rebekah is estimated to have incurred costs of more than £2 million, which she will have to pay out of her own pocket after losing the high-profile libel trial in May.

Friends have suggested Mrs Vardy may be forced to sell the family's beloved Portuguese luxury villa on the exclusive golf resort of Quinta do Lago, which they call their 'sanctuary'. The property, which has three pools, a gym, steam room and six bedrooms, is thought to be worth in the region of £2million and is available for rent for up to £30,000 per week. Mrs Vardy has made it clear she will not appeal the case.

Vardy was accused of deliberately deleting WhatsApp messages central to the case as it was suggested her agent also intentionally dropped her phone in the North Sea.

Mrs Vardy and her footballer husband were left with the bill after Mrs Justice Steyn ruled in favour of Mrs Rooney in a judgement that said swathes of her evidence given under oath had been 'manifestly inconsistent', 'not credible' and needed to be treated with 'very considerable caution'. 

It comes as rival wag Ms Rooney has today been seen working-up a sweat at the gym amid the news that Ms Vardy will have to pay a large chunk of her legal bill for their high-profile court clash.

The 36-year-old, the wife of ex-England striker Wayne Rooney, was seen checking her phone as she hotfooted it out into the street in her workout clothes.

She lost her high-profile libel claim against Mrs Rooney, 36, in July when Mrs Justice Steyn ruled that Mrs Rooney's viral social media post accusing Mrs Vardy of leaking her private information to the press was 'substantially true'.

It followed a viral social media post where Coleen had revealed she had put false stories on her Instagram page. These fake tales then emerged in The Sun newspaper.

Because she had changed her settings so only one user could see it she felt confident to make the famous declaration 'it's....Rebekah Vardy's account'. 

In an order made public on Tuesday, the judge ruled that Mrs Vardy should pay 90 per cent of Mrs Rooney's costs.

Mrs Rooney incurred total costs of more than £2 million, but £350,000 of those had already been racked up before the trial in May, so those were removed to produce a final figure of £1,667,860.

Mrs Vardy was ordered to pay £800,000 of the costs bill by 4pm on November 15.

Mrs Justice Steyn said Mrs Rooney has not yet produced a final total costs bill, and therefore the figures in the order were taken from a breakdown of her costs given in a statement from her solicitor.

Vardy will also have to pay costs incurred by seven journalists who were potential witnesses but did not give evidence - apart from a portion of their costs which Mrs Rooney has already been ordered to pay.

The judge ruled on various issues relating to Mrs Rooney's costs after receiving written legal arguments on behalf of both women.

Mrs Justice Steyn said there were certain issues which arose during the week-long trial which justified the reduction of 10% in the amount Mrs Vardy has to pay, including Mrs Rooney's allegation that Mrs Vardy was one of the people behind The Sun's 'Secret Wag' gossip column.

The judge said in the court order: 'In particular, the weak allegation that the claimant was the Secret Wag added considerably to the work by the claimant's representatives, the concession in respect of serious harm was made late, and the (Mrs Rooney's) public interest defence was unsuccessful.

'However, given the defendant's success on the defence of truth which was at the heart of this claim, and the degree to which there was overlap between the issues, I consider that the appropriate reduction is 10%.'

Mrs Vardy had argued for a reduction to 80% while Mrs Rooney contended there should be no reduction at all.

The final figure of costs Mrs Vardy has to pay may be reduced further if she does not agree to pay the total incurred by Mrs Rooney and, at a later date, a court considers some of those costs to have been unreasonable.

The total amount of Mrs Vardy's legal costs is not known but is expected to be of a similar level to those incurred by Mrs Rooney.

Paul Lunt, partner and head of litigation at law firm Brabners, who represented Coleen Rooney, said: 'The High Court has today decided that Rebekah Vardy must pay Coleen Rooney's legal costs on an indemnity basis - the highest basis that the court could order.

'The reasoning given for this decision is that there was a finding at trial that Rebekah Vardy had deliberately deleted or destroyed evidence.

'That behaviour falls outside the ordinary and reasonable conduct expected of a party in legal proceedings.

'This followed a separate finding regarding the loss of evidence that was in the possession of Rebekah Vardy's former agent, Caroline Watt.

'Coleen's pursuit of that evidence is a major reason why her legal costs increased substantially from the original estimates given to the court long before the start of the trial.

'Rebekah Vardy has been ordered to pay £800,000 to Coleen Rooney by November 15 as an interim payment until the final total she must pay is either agreed or decided upon by the court.

'Naturally, Rebekah will also be responsible for her own legal costs of bringing her failed libel action against Coleen.

'Today's decision also makes Rebekah liable to pay for legal costs incurred by certain journalists from News UK, publishers of The Sun newspaper, following her unsuccessful efforts to involve them in the proceedings.'

Coleen and Rebekah, who were once friends, spectacularly fell out over the former’s Instagram post which ignited a ferocious three-year battle between them and culminated in May’s High Court trial.

Coleen set her trap by posting three fake stories on her personal Instagram page which unbeknown to Rebekah were only shared with her account. Stories were published in The Sun about all of them.

The first of the ‘fake’ stories was posted in April 2019 and featured a snap on board a passenger jet heading to Mexico with the caption: ‘Let’s go and see what this gender selection is all about.’

In September 2019 Coleen posted a fake story hinting she might be in I’m a Celebrity while the third, a month later, was about her basement getting flooded.

Coleen’s social media post accusing her fellow Wag of being the source of the leaks led initially to a furious war of words between the pair.

Attempts to try and resolve their dispute before it came to court all failed, resulting in May’s blockbuster two-week trial which drew international media attention as both Wags gave evidence adding to the high drama in the High Court.

Dubbed the ‘trial of the century’ or the ‘war of the Wags’ simmering tension between the two increased after messages between Rebekah and her agent were read out in which she referred to Coleen as a ‘nasty b***h,’ ‘c**t’ and ‘stupid cow.’

The Wagatha Christie trial also led to a dramatic showdown between two of English football’s most prolific strikers, Wayne Rooney and Jamie Vardy who went on the attack in defence of their wives.

Wayne, 36 dutifully accompanied Coleen for each day of the trial, dressed in sharp suits that matched her formal outfits and the two were photographed purposefully striding into the High Court as they put on a united front.

Jamie, 35 on the other hand, only accompanied Rebekah once during the trial, ironically on the day when his former international colleague Wayne was giving evidence.

As the former England captain took to the witness box, Jamie stared dispassionately as Wayne sounded the last rites for any camaraderie the two once shared on the football pitch.

Coleen was represented in court by high-profile barrister David Sherbourne while Rebekah had enlisted the services of legal heavy weight Hugh Tomlinson.

Giving evidence, the two women revealed the emotional impact the Wagatha battle had on their lives.

Rebekah broke down and cried three times while in the witness box, particularly when she was accused of destroying vital evidence.

Coleen described the messages against her as ‘evil’ and movingly recounted the hurt she felt at stories about her personal life being leaked.

How the Wagatha Christie case unfolded 

Famous footballers at each other's throats, former friends turned warring WAGs and salacious celebrity revelations - the Wagatha Christie libel captivated millions.

There were explosive Whatsapp messages, references to Peter Andre's 'chipolata' and confusion over the fictional character Davy Jones. 

Outside of the courtroom, social media saw an explosion of memes and mockery as the peculiar sketches of the trial's participants from inside the High Court were shared far and wide.

Below, MailOnline recalls the juiciest details from those seven unforgettable days that gripped the nation:

Day 1: From Peter Andre's 'chipolata' penis to fears she would lose her baby after being branded a 'grass': Rebekah Vardy's first day of evidence

Peter Andre's 'chipolata' manhood

Peter Andre's privates were among the unlikely highlights of the first day of the Wagatha Christie trial.   

Rebekah Vardy was asked an interview she gave to the News Of The World about her claimed sexual encounter with singer Peter Andre.

Coleen Rooney's barrister David Sherborne showed a print out of the article to Rebekah in the witness box before reading the headline: 'Peter's hung like a small chipolata, shaved, slobbery, lasts five minutes'.

The barrister read excerpts from the article, in which it was claimed Mr Andre had managed 'just five minutes of sex with Rebekah' and in which she said he had 'the smallest trouser equipment I've ever seen' that was like a 'miniature chipolata'. 

Mr Sherborne suggested to Rebekah that the News Of The World was the 'highest circulating newspaper at the time', read by some four million people, and asked her whether it was 'respectful' of Peter Andre's 'right not to share this information'. 

She replied: 'I was forced into a situation by my ex-husband to do this.

'It is something that I deeply regret... It is not nice to read and I understand why this is being used and to me this is mudslinging and I was also threatened with mudslinging by Mrs Rooney's team.'

Asked the question again by Coleen Rooney's barrister David Sherborne, Mrs Vardy said: 'The circumstances around it were completely different.'

'I feared losing my baby after Coleen said I was a grass', says Rebekah

Coleen Rooney glared across a courtroom at Rebekah Vardy told how she feared she would lose her unborn baby after her rival Wag accused her of leaking stories.

Meanwhile, Mrs Rooney's lawyer confronted Mrs Vardy with a newspaper interview in which she gave intimate details of a sexual encounter with pop star Peter Andre and mocked the size of his manhood.

She said she was labelled a 'grass' and was subjected to vile abuse and death threats from trolls who said her baby should be 'put in an incinerator'.

She likened Mrs Rooney, the wife of former Manchester United and England captain Wayne Rooney, to a 'school bully' and said she had effectively turned the other footballers' wives and girlfriends against her.

Mrs Rooney, 36, glowered at her rival as she denied she was responsible for the leaked stories, saying it was 'not nice' to betray other people's confidences.  

She described Mrs Rooney as 'cold and calculated' and said she had gloated to her close circle of other footballers' wives about her detective work, and had created a 'mob mentality' against her. 

Mrs Vardy said: 'I was not the source of the three articles Coleen accused me of leaking. I believe that Coleen posted her claims so as to cause me maximum damage.

'I will never forgive the way in which Coleen ruined my last weeks of pregnancy and the suffering she has caused to my children and my family but I hope that this claim will mean that the whole world will know that I did not betray Coleen's trust.'

Day 2: Rebekah's evidence continues about life as a WAG and anger at Coleen unfollowing her on Instagram 

WAGs washing their smalls in the sink at the World Cup 

Rebekah Vardy claimed she and her fellow WAGs had to wash their own clothes in the sink at their hotel during the 2018 World Cup in Russia.

As the Wagatha Christie trial entered a third day, Rebekah was quizzed by Coleen Rooney's barrister David Sherborne about the extent of her contacts with journalists during the tournament.

In response, the WAG claimed she did not have any contact with the media because she was too busy washing her clothes in the sink.

'I was busy with the kids and under so much stress,' she said. 'We even had to wash our own clothes in the sink at the hotel.'

Calling Coleen a 'c***' for unfollowing her on Insta

Rebekah Vardy messaged her agent 'OMG what a c***' when Coleen Rooney unfollowed her on Instagram after 'fake' story about car crash was published, libel trial told

Rebekah Vardy has been quizzed once again at the Wagatha Christie libel trial about a WhatsApp exchange which saw her brand Coleen Rooney a 'c***' after she unfollowed her on Instagram.

'OMG what a c***,' Rebekah texted her agent Caroline Watt after realising what had happened, according to texts read out to the High Court earlier in the trial.

Vardy accused of trying to 'do the dirty' on Riyad Mahrez

The court also heard claims Rebekah tried to 'do the dirty' and spill the beans on unrest in the Leicester City dressing room when star player Riyad Mahrez went 'on strike'.

The court heard Rebekah contacted her agent Caroline Watt after Mahrez failed to turn up for training for the second day running.

At the time of the exchange in February 2018, Mahrez was seeking a move to Manchester City. In the WhatsApp message, Rebekah wrote: 'Mahrez not turned up for training again. The lads are fuming.'

Mrs Vardy later discussed with her agent Caroline Watt leaking a story about a woman allegedly cheating on her husband, the High Court also heard.

The WAG insisted she was 'just joking' when Mr Sherborne questioned her about what she said in reference to a story about a woman named only as Mrs F - a 'well-known celebrity' - her estranged husband Mr H and Mr G, a 'well-known footballer'.

Rebekah told Ms Watt that she should 'leak the story about her s******g G behind H's back',' Mr Sherborne said.

Jamie Vardy's wife said she was 'a bit shocked and a bit disgusted about what I'd seen in the paper'. She denied the suggestion it was 'standard practice' for her to leak private information to The Sun via her agent.

And Rebekah fell out with another high-profile WAG which led to a legal dispute, the High Court heard.

The court heard Vardy had a 'spat on Instagram' with Danielle Lloyd, the former wife of ex-Tottenham Hotspur midfielder Jamie O'Hara. A dispute led to 'legal correspondence' between the pair the court heard.

Coleen's barrister claimed messages between Rebekah and her agent showed she was trying to leak information about a pregnant woman who went on honeymoon to the Maldives but went on to suffer a miscarriage.

Vardy revealed the woman was Lloyd but denied leaking stories.

Day 3 - An emotional Mrs Vardy needs breaks after tears on the dock and then LAUGHTER after admitting: 'I don't know who Davy Jones is'

Rebekah Vardy on Davy Jones' Locker

London's High Court burst into laughter after Rebekah Vardy admitted she didn't know who Davy Jones was while being questioned over a missing mobile.

Her agent Caroline Watt's phone was dropped in the North Sea after the court asked for it to be handed over for examination. 

Coleen's team have accused Rebekah of deleting key evidence that, it is said, would prove that Rebekah had been leaking stories to the media.

Coleen's lawyer Mr Sherborne said: 'We know that Ms Watt's phone is now in Davy Jones' Locker, don't we, Mrs Vardy?'

Rebekah then replied: 'I'm sorry, I don't know who Davy Jones is', saying didn't watch much TV. The judge then had to describe Mr Sherborne's nautical reference to the sea bed.

Arguing with Coleen Rooney is as pointless as arguing with a pigeon: 'It's still going to s**t in your hair 

One of the highlights so far was Rebekah Vardy's comments about arguing with Coleen Rooney was 'as pointless as arguing with a pigeon'.

Mrs Vardy gave to a newspaper after Mrs Rooney's 'Wagatha Christie' post, in which she denied being behind the leaks and said she was devastated by the abuse she received.

Mrs Vardy told the Daily Mail, when asked if the pair had argued: 'That would be like arguing with a pigeon.

'You can tell it that you are right and it is wrong, but it's still going to s*** in your hair.'

Gemma Collins' faceplant distracted me from WhatsApping my agent, says Mrs Vardy

Rebekah Vardy has claimed that she was too distracted by Gemma Collins' Dancing On Ice 'faceplant' to respond when her PR agent admitted she was the source of the Coleen Rooney car crash leak.

The court heard that Caroline Watt admitted she had been the source of the Honda car crash story. It came at the end of the pair's discussion when Ms Watt simply wrote: 'It was me.'

Rebekah agreed that the message 'appeared to confirm Caroline Watt was the source of the story'.

She said she did not respond to the message as it was the children's bath time then she was further distracted by 'Gemma Collins' faceplant' in Dancing on Ice.

She was referring to the moment the celebrity tripped and fell face-first on the ice during one of the routines in the ITV show.

Tears in the witness box

Rebekah Vardy was accused of betraying her friends and her husband's teammates as she was grilled over WhatsApp messages in the 'Wagatha Christie' libel trial.

She broke down repeatedly, leading to two emergency breaks in court. 

In five hours of gruelling cross-examination, which at one point left her in tears, Rebekah denied she encouraged her agent to 'stalk' Coleen Rooney's private Instagram and leak stories about her and other Wags.

Rebekah, 40, was confronted with messages in which she discussed leaking and selling stories, and faced repeated accusations that she was lying to the court to protect the 'last shred' of her case against Coleen.

She rejected accusations she had revealed 'juicy information' to settle scores with rival Wags, while courting positive publicity by arranging staged photographs and interviews to promote her image.

'If I'm honest, I'd been drinking': Rebekah blames booze for memory lapses

Rebekah Vardy was dramatically accused of lying after she blamed heavy drinking for failing to remember the details of a 2018 World Cup paparazzi photo she allegedly helped to set up - as the Wagatha Christie libel trial entered its third day.

She denied the allegation this morning. But when asked for details by barrister David Sherborne - acting for her rival Coleen Rooney - she said: 'If I'm completely honest I had been drinking quite a bit.'

Mr Sherborne cuttingly replied: 'I would hope you're honest because you're sitting in a witness box.'

He then added: 'Mrs Vardy, this is the first time that you have suggested that your recollection of events has been affected by drinking – that's a lie, isn't it?'   

The High Court heard how Rebekah received a text from her agent, Ms Watt, announcing 'it was me' after Coleen first publicly claimed that someone had been leaking stories from her private Instagram.

Asked by Mr Sherborne why did not challenge her, Rebekah said it was because she had been 'watching Dancing on Ice' and was distracted by Gemma Collins's infamous 'face-plant'.

In another bizarre exchange, the barrister referred to Ms Watt's claim that she had lost her phone after it had fallen off a boat into the North Sea.

He said it was now 'lying at the bottom of sea in Davy Jones' locker',' only for Rebekah to ask the court: 'Who is Davy Jones?'

Earlier, Mr Sherborne quizzed Rebekah about a series of messages she exchanged with her agent which allegedly show them working together to organise the 2018 World Cup paparazzi photo.

The group of WAGs in the snap included Marcus Rashford's girlfriend Lucia Loi, Kyle Walker's partner Annie Kilner and Harry Maguire's fiancée Fern Hawkins - who was left 'upset and embarrassed' when it emerged in the media.

Rebekah said Ms Watt had arranged for a photographer to take pictures of her as she left her hotel but denied giving the photographer the location of either the hotel or the restaurant where the WAGs were having dinner.

The court heard Rebekah texted Ms Watt about travel arrangements from the hotel to the restaurant. There were exchanges about last minute changes in travel arrangements on the night.

Mr Sherborne suggested that a message to Ms Watt which said, 'I have bought about 10 minutes' referred to the fact Rebekah was delaying some of the women from posting a group photograph on social media because a photographer hiding in the bushes by the hotel had taken a picture of them all and they 'didn't want to lose their exclusive'.

In response, Rebekah said, 'Well, it reads like that' but said she 'couldn't recall' the details due to the amount of alcohol she had consumed. 'The plans changed,' she added. 'I recall it may have been raining. No one wants to walk when they're dressed up in the rain.'

Mr Sherborne accused Rebekah of changing her story about what happened and reminded her that she had signed a statement of truth when she made legal declarations, risking a contempt of court action if she lied.

'You can't get your story straight,' he said to her, adding that this was 'because you're lying'.

Mr Sherborne asked Rebekah why she was 'pulling a face' when he said he was going to refer to a witness statement made by the FA's family liaison officer, Harpreet Robertson.

Rebekah - who has claimed the representative took an instant dislike to her - said: 'Because it was Ms Robertson again.'

Quoting from the statement, Mr Sherborne Ms Robertson said other members of the group and a member of the England squad were upset that they had been 'set up' as they were not looking to court publicity.

Rebekah replied: 'This is the first that I've heard of it.' 

Rebekah denies making 'embarrassing' claims there was 'no sex ban' imposed on the 2018 England World Cup squad in newspaper article that branded her the 'unofficial leader of the WAGs' 

Mr Sherborne referred to a story in which Rebekah was alleged to have confirmed that there was no sex ban within the England squad during the 2018 World Cup.

The article in The Sun had the headline: 'Becky Vardy reveals the secret to England's World Cup success is down to the lads getting to spend time with their WAGs.

It said England's successful run in the tournament was down to Gareth Southgate 'giving the lads the freedom to score - with their wives and girlfriends.'

Rebekah is said to have hinted that sex hadn't been explicitly forbidden as 'there is no proof it hinders performance'

The article featured an apparently naked Rebekah draped inna flag of St George.

The article described Rebekah as the 'unofficial leader of the WAGs.

Asked if those were her words Rebekah denied the saying of the journalist who wrote the story: 'No it was his and it's quite an embarrassing statement.'

During his cross-examination Mr Sherborne accused Rebekah of 'having selective amnesia'. 

WAGs 'had to wash their own clothes in the SINK at the hotel during the 2018 World Cup in Russia', Rebekah claims

Rebekah has claimed that she and her fellow WAGs had to wash their own clothes in the sink at their hotel during the 2018 World Cup in Russia.

The High Court heard that Rebekah gave an interview with The Sun during the football tournament as Coleen's lawyer accused her of trying to distance herself from the notion she had 'strong links' with journalists.

Referring to this interview, Jamie Vardy's wife told the court: 'I was busy with the kids and under so much stress and we even had to wash our own clothes in the sink at the hotel.' 

The High Court heard messages Ms Watt sent Rebekah as she was setting up the interview.  

Ms Watt told her it was 'easy s**t' and that she should talk about how she is having a good time and 'backing the boys' but 'don't want any attention'.

Rebekah 'used the anniversary of Coleen's sister's death as a peg to contact her after the WAG unfollowed her on Instagram' 

Rebekah allegedly 'used the anniversary of Coleen's sister's death as a peg to contact the WAG' after she unfollowed Jamie Vardy's wife on Instagram, the court heard.

Coleen unfollowed Rebekah in January 2019 after the car crash story, suspecting she was the 'grass' who had leaked her information.

In text messages between Rebekah and her agent Caroline Watt, Rebekah said she would like to contact Coleen and suggested 'saying something about' her sister Rosie, who died in 2013 aged 14.

Mr Sherborne put it to Rebekah that she was going to 'use the anniversary' of Rooney's sister dying as 'the peg' to message her.

Rebekah said: 'That's interpreted wrong'.

In the event, Ms Watts suggested she use a different tack by saying she had recently been on Loose Women and the programme's booker asked if Coleen might want to appear on the show. 

'She defo CRASHED': Rebekah denies leaking story about Coleen's 'bad car smash' in US 

Rebekah denied leaking information about Coleen's 2019 car crash in Washington DC to the media.

Mr Sherborne quizzed Jamie Vardy's wife over an article in The Sun about how Coleen had narrowly escaped injury in a horror crash while husband Wayne was playing in the US.

Coleen had posted a picture of her badly damaged Honda on her private Instagram account, the court heard.

The story quoted a source who said: 'Coleen ended up having a bad smash when she was driving the family car. One side of the car was completely caved in. She couldn't drive it away and it looked like a total write off.'

The day after the message was posted, Ms Watt sent a message to Rebekah saying: 'Am I imagining it or did you say yesterday that Coleen had crashed her Honda?'

Rebekah replied: 'She defo has' - and instructed Ms Watt to go into Coleen's account. Ms Watt then sent another message saying: 'She must have taken whatever it is down as it's not there now.'

Under cross-examination, Rebekah denied leaking the story.  

An Instagram post from Coleen showed a photo of the damaged vehicle, which the court has been told about previously. 'RIP' and 'half a Honda', the post says.

Mr Sherborne referred Rebekah to an article written in The Sun about the car crash.

'Coleen Rooney narrowly avoids injury in car crash and wrecks 4×4 just weeks after Wayne's arrest for 'public intoxication' in Washington,' the article, which was published on 25 January 2019, is headlined.

Mr Sherborne brought up the text messages between Rebekah and Ms Watt about the crash, which took place on the 23 January.

Ms Watt asked her about Coleen crashing the Honda and told her she could no longer see the Instagram post.

'I would have tried to have done a story on Coleen but the evidence has been deleted,' Ms Watt said in a message to Vardy, the court hears.

The previous evening, Rebekah had been at the National Television Awards. She and Ms Watts were in a box hosted by The Sun, the court heard, and the journalist who wrote the car crash article a few days later, Andy Halls, was also there.

Mr Sherborne accused Rebekah of changing her story on whether or not she knew Halls was there. In her witness statement submitted to the court, she said: 'Andy Halls may also have been there but I don't remember seeing him.'

Referring to the texts between her and Ms Watts about

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