Colleen Rooney and Rebekah Vardy's clash has made it all the way to court. Photo / AP
Colleen Rooney and Rebekah Vardy's clash has made it all the way to court. Photo / AP
The feud between two television personalities has made its way to a London courtroom and the front of British tabloids. Let us explain.
When tabloid-fronting characters publicly spat in a juicy whodunit, and when the mess is based on the kind of petty Instagram drama that would feel at homein any high school hallway, and when the confrontation makes its way to a courtroom that pokes and prods at every titillating detail, it is a recipe for a saga many people have found absolutely delicious.
A libel case in Britain pitting the famous wives of two football players against each other, currently on trial in London, hasn't quite pushed Ukraine or government malfeasance from the pages, but the legal drama has offered a welcome respite to many who enjoy news dessert with their news dinner.
If you haven't been paying attention, let's get you caught up.
Coleen Rooney, 36, is a television personality and is married to Wayne Rooney, a former football star.
Rebekah Vardy, 40, is also a television personality and is married to Jamie Vardy, also a football star.
Rebekah Vardy is suing Coleen Rooney for defamation, a case that went to trial this week at the High Court in London, which oversees most high-profile civil proceedings in Britain.
The British tabloids have long treated the wives and girlfriends — often shortened to WAGs — of football players as consistent celebrity fodder, so the two women were well known before the Instagram drama that ensued.
Rebekah Vardy arrives at the High Court in London. Photo / AP
Instagram drama?
In October 2019, Coleen Rooney publicly disclosed that someone was watching her private Instagram stories and leaking personal details to the press, and she said she had undertaken an extensive sting operation to find the leaker.
Instagram allows people to limit some content to specific people. So, Coleen Rooney said, she posted false stories that were visible to just a single account to see if they made their way to the press. Sure enough, they did.
In a dramatic dun-dun-dun revelation posted on Twitter, she revealed the results of her investigation: The account belonged to Rebekah Vardy.
So, case closed?
Nope. Rebekah Vardy denied any involvement, saying multiple people had access to her Instagram account. She said the accusation had subjected her to a torrent of verbal abuse from the public, a particular stressor when she was pregnant. In 2020, she began civil proceedings for defamation.
"I wish you had called me if you thought this," she responded to Coleen Rooney.
Wait, sorry, I'm not catching the 'Wagatha Christie' reference
WAGs, as mentioned before, stands for wives and girlfriends. Agatha Christie was an English writer of detective novels. They're saying Coleen Rooney is a good detective.
Coleen Rooney arrives together at the High Court. Photo / AP
Got it. So who's right?
Wish we knew. And it's unclear if we'll ever have proof.
Hugh Tomlinson, Rebekah Vardy's lawyer, said in court this week that his client believes the culprit could have been her agent, Caroline Watt, according to reporters covering the trial. Watt accidentally dropped a phone in the sea that Coleen Rooney said had WhatsApp messages related to the case, it was revealed in court.
Yes. Under English law, anyone posting a damaging statement about someone else on social media can be sued for damages, according to defamation lawyers.
But libel cases in the High Court are rare, largely because they are very expensive. Coleen Rooney and Rebekah Vardy refused to settle out of court.
When will we have an answer?
The trial, which began Tuesday, is expected to last about a week.
