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Daily Record
Daily Record
Entertainment
Kirsten McStay

Coleen Rooney to 'make Rebekah Vardy pay full amount of Wagatha Christie libel bill'

Coleen Rooney has vowed to make Rebekah Vardy pays every penny of her £3million High Court legal bill, it has been claimed. The infamous Wagatha Christie saga between the two WAGs finally ended on Friday after Mrs Justice Steyn announced that Coleen had triumphed, writes The Mirror.

Rebekah was unsuccessful in her defamation case against the wife of England legend Wayne - and now there is a costly bill to settle. It has been reported that Coleen's legal team will apply the pressure to ensure she pays the full amount, estimated to be up to £3million.

The winning party will often still have to pay about 30 per cent of the overall legal costs in such cases. The Mail On Sunday claim that the judge’s damning verdict - effectively saying Rebekah did sell stories to the press - means it is ‘inconceivable’ that she won’t be made to pay the full amount.

Media lawyer Jonathan Coad says the costly “tragic” loss for Vardy will really affect her after being “effectively branded a liar” in court.

"Coleen didn’t want this to happen - she knew the money would be better spent on so many other things but she won’t be letting Rebekah get away with not paying the full costs," a source told the publication. "She tried to settle this early on but Rebekah wouldn’t have it. And if you look at the outlining of the judgment, it is inconceivable that a judge wouldn’t agree she will pay them in full.

Coleen Rooney is celebrating victory after the verdict in the libel trial was delivered (Getty Images)

"Let’s not forget, this action was brought by Rebekah and she lost spectacularly." In her decision, Mrs Justice Steyn wrote: "The Court found that the Claimant, together with Ms Watt, was party to the disclosure to The Sun of the Marriage, Birthday, Halloween, Pyjamas, Car Crash, Gender Selection, Babysitting and Flooded Basement Posts.

"The Court considered it likely that Ms Watt undertook the direct act, in relation to each post, of passing the information to a journalist at The Sun, but found that the Claimant knew of, condoned and was actively engaged in this process."

Defeated Rebekah Vardy now has a huge legal bill to settle (Getty Images)

Speaking outside the High Court, Mr Coad told the BBC : “It is an absolute disaster for Rebekah Vardy. “And what makes it even more tragic is four times Coleen Rooney tried to settle this case.

“The judge told her that the case should be settled but she has carried on and suffered terrible brand damage during the course of the cross examination by David Sherborne which I think was what has won it. “And she has lost, so financially she will have to pay all her costs and 70 per cent of Coleen's costs which is well over two million quid.

“But more damaging is that she has been effectively branded a liar by the judgement. “She denied it in the witness box, she denied it under oath and the judge found that she had done it so it is very damaging for her reputation.”

The fellow WAGS have changed from best friends to bitter rivals (Daily Mirror/Andy Stenning)

Breaking her silence after the verdict, Coleen said she was pleased with the judgement and bears no ill will to Rebekah, adding: “It was not a case I ever sought or wanted." Turning to her viral Instagram post which sparked the saga, Coleen said: "Today’s judgment makes clear that I was right in what I said in my posts of October 2019."

In how own statement, Rebekah said she was "extremely sad and disappointed" by the decision, and she did not accept it nor believe it "was just".

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