LONDON | False stories on Instagram, accusations of leaks in the press, defamation suits … The incredible trial between Coleen Rooney and Rebekah Vardy, two influencers first known to be the wives of English soccer players, opened on Tuesday in London.
The case is attracting such interest in the UK that it has its own nickname: “Wagatha Christie” – WAG (Wives and girlfriends) being an acronym used to refer to the companions of famous sportsmen.
Dozens of photographers crowded outside the High Court in London and the entrance of the two women was filmed for a documentary. Inside, reporters were crammed into a courtroom to follow the case, with the court also setting up video streaming in the basement for those who did not have a seat.
In this trial, which is due to last until May 18, Rebekah Vardy is suing Coleen Rooney for defamation after the latter accused her of having leaked information to the English tabloids.
It all started in October 2019 when Coleen Rooney, the wife of former England soccer star Wayne Rooney, accused Rebekah Vardy, married to Leicester City striker Jamie Vardy, of having transmitted to the tabloid The Sun “false stories” about her.
In a publication on Instagram and Twitter widely relayed and derided by Internet users, Ms. Rooney explained that she had realized that what she published on her private account was regularly published in the newspaper, which at the time had a section devoted to wives of soccer players.
Suspecting Ms Vardy, she explained that she carried out the investigation by “blocking everyone from my stories except ONE account” and posting false stories about her life – including a trip to Mexico to select the gender of her child – to see if they ended up in the tabloid, which they did.
“I took screenshots that clearly show that only one person had seen” the stories, she said. “It’s… Rebekah Vardy’s account.”
Ms. Vardy had denied and decided to sue Ms. Rooney for defamation. According to British law, it is now up to Mrs Rooney to prove the veracity of the accusations made.
– ‘False charges’ – The case had already come to court in November 2020. At the time, the judge concluded that Ms Rooney ‘clearly identified’ Ms Vardy as ‘guilty’, clearing the way for trial for defamation.
“The accusations in the post were and remain false: Ms Vardy did not leak any information about Ms Rooney or her friends or family to The Sun newspaper,” her lawyer Hugh Tomlinson said in his written submissions on Tuesday.
According to the famous lawyer, his client tried to avoid a lawsuit but the publication having not been deleted, “Ms Vardy had no choice but to start a lawsuit for defamation in order to establish her innocence “.
If Coleen Rooney, 36, and Rebekah Vardy, 40, became public figures because of their relationship with footballers, they have since been “people” in their own right. Followed by hundreds of thousands of subscribers on Instagram, they regularly share photos of their respective children.