(Image: PA)

Rebekah Vardy recalls 'traumatic' reaction to being 'exposed' by Coleen Rooney

Rebekah Vardy has spoken about the moment she found out she had been accused of leaking stories about Coleen Rooney in the Wagatha Christie showdown

by · Birmingham Live

Coleen Rooney sent shockwaves through the world of WAGs when she accused a fellow footballer's wife of leaking personal stories to the press. In an unexpected turn, Rebekah Vardy, 42, expressed her own shock and near-collapse after seeing her name in Coleen's viral tweet back when she was 38.

Fast forward five years since the 'Wagatha Christie' saga unfolded, Rebekah has been dealt a new blow by the courts, rejecting her appeal to cut down the astronomical £1.8 million legal fees owed to Coleen following their highly publicised High Court clash.

The dramatic case, which had seen Coleen triumph in 2022 amidst accusations of defamation against Rebekah, escalated from a series of social media posts where Coleen revealed her detective work results to the world, stating on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook: "I have saved and screenshotted all the original stories which clearly show just one person has viewed them. It's... Rebekah Vardy's account."

Get breaking news on BirminghamLive WhatsApp

Now, as Coleen gears up for her appearance in this year's I'm A Celebrity... Get Me Out Of Here! Rebekah, still professing her innocence, opened up in an explosive interview with TalkTV about discovering the allegations while on holiday in Dubai.

"Kind of reading it, I had this most overwhelming dizziness, fuzziness, disbelief at what I was reading," she relayed to Kate McCann. She couldn't recall the immediate aftermath but remembered feeling nearly 'passing out'

"We were in a taxi, we got to this beach bar and walked in. I don't know," Rebekah recounted. "It was so traumatic, I can't really remember exactly what happened then. But all I remember is Jamie getting me out of there pretty quick because I thought I was just gonna pass out."

"It was just the biggest adrenaline rush I think I've ever experienced." Coleen Rooney reportedly left her a message attempting contact, but when Rebekah tried to return the call, there was no answer.

When they did finally speak, according to Rebekah, the exchange 'wasn't very nice at all'. In her interview, Rebekah unveiled shocking details and hit back at harsh critics who threatened her family, including threats directed at her husband, Jamie, stemming from the Wagatha Christie ordeal.

Mrs Justice Steyn, the presiding judge on the case, found that Rebekah "clearly" consented to the sharing of stories with journalists via her agent, Caroline Watt. The judge questioned some of Rebekah's testimony as "not credible", while labelling Coleen an "honest and reliable witness".

Following the judgement, Rebekah issued a statement conveying her disappointment over the outcome. "I am extremely sad and disappointed at the decision that the Judge has reached. It is not the result that I had expected or believed was just. I brought this action to vindicate my reputation and am devastated by the Judge's finding," she said in a statement. "The judge accepted that publication of Coleen's Post was not in the 'public interest' and she also rejected her claim that I was the 'Secret Wag'. But as for the rest of her judgement, she got it wrong and this is something I cannot accept."

She continued: "As I explained in my evidence, I, my family and even my unborn baby were subjected to disgusting messages and vile abuse following Coleen's Post, and these have continued even during the course of the trial. Please can the people who have been abusing me and my family now stop. The case is over. I want to thank everyone who has supported me."