Coleen Rooney has spoken out about the verdict in the Wagatha Christie trial against Rebekah Vardy, saying she "never believed it should have gone to court".
Coleen, 36, came out victorious in the highly publicised court case as Mrs Justice Steyn made her ruling today.
She shared her reaction to the verdict, after the nearly three-year battle between herself and Rebekah, 40, reached a conclusion.
Wayne Rooney's wife has said she was "pleased" with the ruling following a week-long trial in May.
In a statement, she said: "It was not a case I ever sought or wanted.
"I never believed it should have gone to court at such expense in times of hardship for so many people when the money could have been far better spent helping others.
"Both before and after my social media posts in October 2019, I made every effort to avoid the need for such a drawn-out and public court case.
"All my attempts to do so were knocked back by Mrs Vardy."
Coleen also said she had "no alternative" but to defend the claim "to end the repeated leaking of my private information to The Sun".
She continued: "These leaks from my private Instagram account began in 2017. They continued for almost two years, intruding on my privacy and that of my family.
"Although I bear Mrs Vardy no ill-will, today’s judgment makes clear that I was right in what I said in my posts of October 2019."
In a viral social media post shared in October 2019, Coleen said she had carried out a months-long "sting operation" and accused Rebekah of leaking "false stories" about her private life to the press.
The fake stories Mrs Rooney planted on her Instagram during the sting operation featured her travelling to Mexico for a gender selection procedure, her planning to return to TV, and the basement flooding at her home.
Rebekah, who is married to Leicester striker Jamie Vardy, denied leaking stories to the media and sued Coleen for libel.
In a much-anticipated ruling on Friday, Mrs Justice Steyn found in Coleen’s favour and dismissed the claim against her.
In her ruling, Mrs Justice Steyn said it was "likely" that Mrs Vardy’s agent at the time, Caroline Watt, "undertook the direct act" of passing the information to The Sun.
But she added: "Nonetheless, the evidence … clearly shows, in my view, that Mrs Vardy knew of and condoned this behaviour, actively engaging in it by directing Ms Watt to the private Instagram account, sending her screenshots of Mrs Rooney’s posts, drawing attention to items of potential interest to the press, and answering additional queries raised by the press via Ms Watt."
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