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Evening Standard
Evening Standard
Entertainment
Josh Salisbury

Rebekah Vardy ‘furious over £1.8m legal bill’ after ‘Wagatha Christie’ libel trial against Coleen Rooney

Rebekah Vardy is reported to be furious after being slapped with an “inflated” legal bill after losing the ‘Wagatha’ libel trial against Coleen Rooney, according to fresh claims.

Vardy, 41, was ordered to pay 90% of Ms Rooney’s legal costs - but is now said to be angry over the £1.8m bill.

The Sun newspaper reported that the wife of Leicester footballer Jamie Vardy has demanded a breakdown of the legal bill after some costs skyrocketed by 300 per cent.

The costs are alleged to include £2,000 for one of Ms Rooney’s lawyers to stay at a five-star hotel and a £225 tab for breakfast and drinks at ­London’s Nobu Hotel.

The star has now told lawyers to scrutinise the costs, according to the paper, with sources close to Ms Vardy claiming there could even be another Wagatha court hearing over the costs.

A source told the paper: “Becky was furious after seeing Coleen’s bill and hired a legal team to push back. To her, it’s war.

“In court Coleen’s costs were budgeted at just over £500,000 and Becky thinks she’s pushing her luck by asking for almost £2million.

“Her legal team has said that some of the costs appear to have been inflated.

“They went back to Coleen’s team and asked for a detailed breakdown of some of the points.”

The two WAGs went head to head in the High Court after Ms Rooney accused Vardy’s Instagram account of leaking private stories in 2019, an accusation she vehemently denied.

However, Vardy lost the high-profile libel battle against the wife of Wayne Rooney.

Following the ruling, it was reported that Vardy applied for a trademark licence for the phrase “Wagatha Christie”, the moniker given to the trial.

Last year, Vardy said she felt “let down by the legal system” after losing her libel battle.

In an interview, Ms Vardy said: “I feel let down by a lot of people, a lot of things, but most importantly I feel let down by the legal system.”

“I am extremely sad and disappointed at the decision that the judge has reached.

“It is not the result that I had expected, nor believe was just. I brought this action to vindicate my reputation and am devastated by the judge’s finding.”

A representative for Rebekah Vardy said she would not comment on the report and Coleen Rooney’s spokesperson has not replied to a request for comment.

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