Rebekah Vardy complained she was being made a “scapegoat” during Euro 2016 and that news coverage made her “blood boil”, newly-released documents in the “Wagatha Christie” libel trial have revealed.
Screenshots of the mother-of-five’s texts to her husband, Leicester City striker Jamie Vardy, were among a host of evidence that lawyers on both sides of the case agreed for release.
A series of posts from Coleen Rooney’s private Instagram at the centre of the recently-concluded High Court trial were also released on Friday.
In a June 23 2016 exchange, Mrs Vardy shared an article link with her “Hubby” that reported then England football captain Wayne Rooney had “held talks” with Mr Vardy about his wife.
“Seriously????” Mrs Vardy messaged her husband.
Mr Vardy replied: “No not at all babes x”
“Twats trying to make me into a scapegoat X,” Mrs Vardy said, with Mr Vardy responding: “F*****g arseholes x”
The trial of the libel dispute between Mrs Vardy and fellow footballer’s wife Mrs Rooney, which finished on Thursday, was told Mr Rooney spoke to Mr Vardy about his wife’s “media activities” during the Euro 2016 tournament because they were “causing problems and distractions”.
Giving evidence, Mr Rooney claimed he had “100%” had an “awkward” conversation with his teammate about Mrs Vardy after being asked to by then England manager Roy Hodgson.
In a statement issued outside the trial, Mr Vardy said that Mr Rooney, now manager at Derby County, was “talking nonsense”.
In the messages to her husband in 2016, Mrs Vardy shared another article with the headline: “Wayne Rooney asks Jamie Vardy to make sure his wife lowers her social media profile during Euros”.
Mrs Vardy commented: “Jesus… This must have come from somewhere!”
“Haha no1 said a word, probably the bloody FA,” Mr Vardy replied.
Mrs Vardy said: “Joke makes my blood boil X.”
“Papers for u with nothing better to do coz they got no stories x,” Mr Vardy responded, with Mrs Vardy adding: “Exactly not fair to pick on me though wankers.”
Screenshots of multiple private Instagram posts made by Coleen Rooney between 2017 and 2019 feature in the newly-released bundle of documents that trial judge Mrs Justice Steyn said could be made public.
They include an October 24 2017 post celebrating her husband’s birthday and another made on October 31 that year of Mr Rooney and three of their sons in pyjamas in bed.
Mrs Rooney claimed that at the time of the so-called “pyjamas post” she made a “conscious decision” not to upload the photograph with him to her public Instagram account due to “the difficulties between us at the time”.
The mother-of-four claims that an article later published in The Sun referenced the two posts, including quoting the so-called “birthday post” “word-for-word”.
Lawyers have also shared a screenshot of Mrs Rooney’s so-called “TV decisions” post, among the fake posts she claims to have uploaded to her private Instagram as part of a “sting operation” to discover who was leaking her private information.
Posted on September 25 2019, it featured a “selfie” of Mrs Rooney and the text: “Up and out!! Easing my way back into work!! TV decisions…. maybe it’s time for Australia.”
Another post made on March 18 2019 which showed a photo of a bar she was at celebrating St Patrick’s Day with her husband and the caption: “We’re back… took kids home….. we finally have a babysitter”.
Mrs Rooney claims the Sun made enquiries about her and her husband going on “lots of dates” in Washington, where the couple then lived, after finding a babysitter they trusted.
While no article was published about the “babysitter post”, Mrs Rooney believes it was likely another leak from her private Instagram.
In a viral social media post in October 2019, Mrs Rooney, 36, said she had carried out a “sting operation” and accused Mrs Vardy, 40, of leaking “false stories” about her private life to the press.
Mrs Vardy denied leaking stories to the media and sued her fellow footballer’s wife for libel, while Mrs Rooney defended the claim on the basis her post was “substantially true”.
Both women gave evidence during the seven-day trial of the case, with Mrs Justice Steyn due to give her ruling at a later date.
