Rebekah Vardy has won the right to trademark the phrase “Wagatha Christie” after it was first brought to public attention in October 2019, in a spat with Coleen Rooney. Their row - over whether Vardy's account was used in selling stories about the Rooneys to the press - was dubbed 'Wagatha Christie' online, in a nod to murder-mystery author Agatha.
Rebekah, married to Leicester City player Jamie Vardy, used a friend’s company to quietly apply for the trademark eight months ago after the libel battle decision went against her. Pals say the mum-of-two wanted to “take back control” over the situation, after she was faced with 90 per cent of Coleen's legal fees, which could amount to anything up to £1.5million.
But according to recent reports, the move may have been made out of a “fear” that Coleen would profit from its use and could be looking to “ride on the back” of the publicity from her high-profile win and “make some money” from any merchandise using the phrase.
On Wednesday, Saphia Maxamed, owner of London Entertainment, confirmed to the PA news agency that her firm had registered “Wagatha Christie” as a trademark on behalf of Rebekah. The move means anyone using the phrase commercially will have to get her permission — and pay her if she allows it.
“This trademark is Becky’s two fingers to Coleen and all the misery associated with ‘Wagatha Christie’. Becky is shrewd and knew people would try to cash in on the phrase," a source told The Sun. “She now owns the UK trademark and would consider expanding it to other territories if she thought it was needed.
“If someone wants to print the logo on a mug, for example, they would be infringing the trademark if they didn’t ask permission. Or if someone wanted to use the phrase to promote a documentary or a film, they would have to ask to use it as they would be exploiting the phrase for monetary gain. It is a legal grey area in some respects, however, and will be done on a case-by-case basis.”
A bitter spat erupted between the two football WAGs in 2019, when Coleen accused Rebekah in a tweet of selling stories about her and ex-England football star husband Wayne Rooney. Rebekah Vardy subsequently took Coleen Rooney to the High Court for a libel battle but a judge found that the latter’s post was “substantially true”.
The saga gained so much attention across the nation that the row was adapted into a West End musical and a Channel 4 drama. The BBC also made a documentary about the case and the fallout from it.
Meanwhile, Coleen Rooney revealed she is also working with Disney+ on a documentary regarding the trial with the name of the film yet to be disclosed.
Rebekah Vardy has always denied selling Coleen’s stories to the press teling TalkTV: “I will say until I’m blue in the face — I didn’t do it.” Representatives for both Rebekah Vardy and Coleen Rooney have been contacted by PA news agency for comment.
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