England's "gamer's wives' war" has been decided. A London court has dismissed Rebekah Vardy's defamation lawsuit against Coleen Rooney. But that's not all: The verdict is a violent defeat for the wife of professional footballer Jamie Vardy and a victory across the board for the wife of former star striker Wayne Rooney.
Because judge Karen Steyn confirmed in her decision published on Friday the bottom line of the allegations of 36-year-old Rooney that 40-year-old Vardy leaked private information to the tabloid "Sun".
It's "probable" that Vardy's former agent passed the stories on, Steyn said. "Nonetheless, I believe the evidence clearly shows that Mrs Vardy was aware of and condoned this conduct." She referred her employee to Rooney's private Instagram account, sent her screenshots of the posts and drew attention to topics that could be of interest to the gossip press. Later, Vardy also commented on the stories at the request of the media. The judge pointed out that Vardy had refused to question her ex-agent - and that her cell phone allegedly accidentally fell into the sea just when it was to be confiscated for evidence.
Coleen Rooney became Wagatha Christie
Kick-Off Rooney: In October 2019, the mother-of-four dropped the bombshell, with a social media post of course. She writes that someone in her circle of friends passed on information that she had only posted on her private Instagram account to the "Sun". To check, she blocked all subscribers - except for one account. Then she posted fictional stories in her private Instagram stories - all of which were picked up by the "Sun". So she knew with certainty who was behind it, wrote Rooney, only to use dramatic punctuation to set the punch line: "It was .......... Rebekah Vardy's account."
Rooney's criminal flair even earned her a new nickname. The media named what is probably the most famous representative of the "wags" - as gambling women are called in England after the abbreviation for "wives and girlfriends" - "Wagatha Christie", after the famous crime writer Agatha Christie. But Vardy sued for damages for defamation.
Football, gossip, betrayal: the long-standing dispute offered almost everything that causes a stir in Great Britain. The prominent husbands of the two opponents also testified. So now the judicial final - shortly before the final of the European Women's Football Championship in London, followed by many people in England, some amused, some shaking their heads.
questions remain. Was it jealousy or envy that Rebekah Vardy let her agent go to The Sun? In text messages, the two discussed what the press might be interested in. Vardy had previously shared stories about other celebrities with the media, at the time she explained it with naivety and immaturity. That's also why she was shocked when Rooney made the allegations public.
Judge Steyn can even understand the reaction. "Mrs. Vardy's role in disclosing information to The Sun seemed to me thoughtless rather than part of a considered and concerted business practice," Steyn said. Their conclusion: the plaintiff had deceived itself above all.
Coleen Rooney, whose husband Wayne is now a coach in the United States, wants to close the case. "While I'm not mad at Mrs Vardy, today's verdict makes it clear that I was right in what I wrote in my October 2019 posts," she shared. She never wanted to go to trial, but Vardy refused all efforts to reach an agreement. Things are now getting expensive for the wife of Leicester City striker Jamie Vardy. The PA news agency estimates the court costs at three million pounds (3.57 million euros). Vardy will have to carry most of it.
