Coleen Rooney says she and Wayne are stronger since Rebekah Vardy libel case

Coleen Rooney emerged victorious from the libel trial of the century with her head held high, her husband Wayne proudly by her side and the respect of the nation. Accuser and loser Rebekah Vardy, meanwhile, became a social pariah, a national laughing stock, left staggering under the weight of Coleen’s enormous legal bill – an eye-watering £1.8 million.

But for Coleen, 37, the victory is hollow, as she reveals the toll of the court case saw her mental and physical health crumble.

While drama played out in the High Court, Coleen was secretly suffering from reactive arthritis – a condition that causes redness and swelling of the joints – which flared due to the stress of being sued by Rebekah.

“It caused anxiety and there were a lot of tears,” shares Coleen. “I have reactive arthritis, and I’ve had it previously, but this situation brought it on a lot more than what I’ve had before.”

The stress changed Coleen and she no longer recognised herself. “It stripped me of me, of my character,” she says. “I just didn’t want to socialise with people at all. I was completely in my own world. There were days when I’d have a teatime phone call with my legal team and I’d end up in files on my computer until midnight. There were also nights when I didn’t sleep as things were going through my mind. It drained me of my personality, my energy, and my character. It was not a nice place to be.”

The incredible legal battle began when Coleen turned super-sleuth to find out who was leaking stories from her personal Instagram account to the media. After carefully planting false stories and changing her settings, Coleen started a process of elimination which revealed Rebekah Vardy’s account as the culprit. Exhibiting a delicious sense of justice, lapped up by the public, Coleen revealed the findings of her sleuthing with her now iconic “It’s… Rebekah Vardy’s account,” post.

Humiliated Rebekah denied it all and sued Coleen in a splashy libel trial.

Now Coleen is telling the tale in her new Disney+ documentary The Real Wagatha Story.

After being at the centre of one of biggest media storms in decades, Coleen has found public support for her is at an all-time high. Onlookers were stunned by her composure and impressed with her honesty. Wayne’s devoted presence in the court also showed their marriage in a new light, giving the public a glimpse of the relationship that Coleen has consistently fought to save.

“I didn’t realise how much support I had,” admits Coleen. “Obviously, I know I’ve got support from my close family and friends, and there were so many messages and phone calls with people just checking in on me. But I’m also really grateful for the public’s support, and that’s something I’ve taken away from this whole process. My story never changed from day one, and I was telling the truth. That’s all I could do, and that’s what I did.”

That support and goodwill came at huge personal cost. As the trial loomed, Coleen desperately tried to avoid going to court. However, Rebekah, 41, insisted and Coleen struggled with the feelings of shame that being sued brings.

“I’ve never stepped into a courtroom before,” explains Coleen. “And so [I was] scared of getting on that stand. I felt ashamed, and I tried to do everything I could to get out of going to court. But for that to happen, I’d have had to lie and take back what I said in my Instagram post, and I couldn’t do that. But I couldn’t focus on anything else in life either, and even though I’m not a massive worrier, this really got to me.”

With the legal battle looming and her reputation at stake, mum-of-four Coleen was overwhelmed with stress and unable to enjoy normal family occasions as the court case occupied her mind.

“It’s made me realise how precious family time is, because I was wrapped up in the court case for so long and my mind was elsewhere,” shares Coleen. “Even though I was looking after and caring for the children, I was always thinking about the court case and what was going to happen next. That’s quite sad.”

Now Coleen wants to get back to normal – and start to concentrate on herself and her loved ones. “I canget back to focusing properly on my family and friends, who mean a lot to me.”

Coleen wishes the whole case had never come to court – and surely now as she stares at her depleted bank balance, so does Rebekah. However, she admits the tough times have made her stronger, and, at the same time, bolstered her relationship with Wayne. “I’ve lived this life since I was 16 – me and Wayne have gone through this together and learned from each other along the way. We’ve both made mistakes in our lives, some bigger than others, but we’ve dealt with it and got on with it. I think that’s what’s made us stronger as people and stronger as a couple.”

Relationship therapist Cate Campbell, a member of the British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy, believes that Coleen’s straightforward way of dealing with problems has helped her and Wayne grow together. “She’s owning the past and that obviously works for them,” she says. “It’s quite a healthy step in the right direction. They are potentially helping other people by being able to talk about things and about their lives so openly. You’ve got to give them credit for that.”

During the trial, Coleen and Rebekah’s outfits became as integral to the story as their testimonies. Rebekah debuted brands like Chanel and Alexander McQueen, while Coleen went for low-key looks and even wore high street label Zara and a moon boot on her inconveniently fractured foot. But while Coleen has always enjoyed fashion, she insists she didn’t contrive to wear a more relatable wardrobe.

“I just looked in my wardrobe to see what I had that was appropriate for court and I worked around that,” says Coleen. “I’d rather buy a summer holiday wardrobe than a court wardrobe, so I just had a few new pairs of trousers. The press said that I planned to go more ‘girl-next-door’, but that was what I had in my wardrobe and that is me! Why should I make so much effort to go to court when I didn’t even want to be there?”

Looking back at Rebekah’s high-gloss look, Coleen regrets not having her hair done but at the time she couldn’t face spending time with a hairdresser. “I look back now and think, ‘Oh, I should’ve got a blow dry some of those days!’, but I didn’t want anyone in my room on those mornings before I went to court. I’d lost weight so some of my clothes had to get taken in, and also I had that boot because I’d broken my foot. The fashion thing wasn’t on the top of my list.”

Now Coleen wants to spend more time with her sons Kai, 13, Klay, 10, Kit, seven, and Cass, five. Even though she and Wayne live in a £20 million mansion, she isn’t interested in hiring a full-time nanny. “I’m grateful that I can spend all that time with the children,” insists Coleen. “There are parents that would love to do what I do, and be at every sports day or parents’ evening. Wayne can’t do it when he’s working but I can. I do have a brilliant lady, Jo, who comes in once a week to help out, but that’s enough for my children. My family helps out a lot – my mum and dad especially – but I know my children want me.”

Wayne is currently working in America, managing Major League Soccer club D.C. United. After struggling to make the move to America previously, Coleen has decided to stay with their four boys. “It can be hard,” she says. “I don’t want people to think I struggle, but at the moment Wayne is away in America for work, so I’m the sole parent of the family here. I know there are a lot of single parents out there and people who have partners working away, so they’ll know it’s difficult when it feels like you’ve got to be in four places at one time!”

After her final day in court, Coleen did what she is best known for and went on holiday. With her court case out of the way, Coleen started to enjoy her life again. “That was one of the best holidays of my life as it was such a relief to step away from the courtroom, to be with the family, and give them my time without going through court papers,” says Coleen. “Those weeks
were really precious.”

However, the verdict was still to come and Coleen couldn’t yet relax completely. If she had lost, she could have been ordered to pay Rebekah’s costs.

Happily for the Rooneys, the verdict came back in their favour. But when she heard the news, Coleen felt far from jubilant. “The day it came out, I was on a photoshoot with my eldest, who’s sponsored by Puma, and I was sitting in the car on my own in this industrial estate, feeling quite numb,” explains Coleen. “Even though it was fantastic to hear those words, ‘You’ve won’, I couldn’t process it. It wasn’t until the next day when I woke up and started replying to everyone’s messages that it sunk in a bit more.”

Now Coleen is ready to move on. She’s spent the past 12 months filming her documentary about the case. With her children at school, she’s ready to restart her career.

Tina Wilson, relationship expert and founder of Wingman believes we’re about to see a lot more from a newly revitalised Coleen. “It’s like the power shift has completely changed,” shares Tina. “I think that Coleen feels very empowered by the fact that she went through that court case she won. She feels that this is her time.”

It certainly sounds like it. “The Disney+ series is next, and it’s been a long time coming. We’ve been filming for the past year and it’s been great,” says Coleen. “I’ve also been working on a book which is out later this year and that’s exciting. I hope to do a lot more. So, we’ll see what’s next. Now I feel ready to end all of this, and look forward to new opportunities that come my way.”

Coleen Rooney: The Real Wagatha Story airs on Disney+ on Wednesday 18 October

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