Wagatha Christie trial a peek into life of Wags

LONDON • A headline-grabbing libel case over an online spat between the wives of two of England's most prominent footballers wrapped up on Thursday, after lifting the lid on tabloid double-dealing, and the lives of the rich and famous.

Rebekah Vardy, whose husband Jamie plays for Leicester City, is suing Coleen Rooney, the wife of former Manchester United star and current Derby County manager Wayne, after she accused her of leaking stories to The Sun newspaper.

Coleen, the childhood sweetheart of England's all-time top goalscorer, was dubbed "Wagatha Christie" after she set up an elaborate sting to try to determine who was behind the leaks, then announced her findings publicly.

"It's... Rebekah Vardy's account," she said in October 2019, accusing the 40-year-old of selling fake stories about her to The Sun.

Fascination with the lives of the wives and girlfriends (Wags) of top-flight footballers - and their very public falling-out - has produced wall-to-wall coverage since the accusations first emerged and hit fever pitch as the case began last Tuesday.

Bystanders have even been waiting outside the hallowed Royal Courts of Justice in London to snap the women as they attended proceedings. Fevered online comment has divided support into two camps - #TeamColeen and #TeamRebekah.

Articles have also been written about the designer clothing worn by both women to court.

Legal costs have reportedly run into millions of pounds.

Vardy has vehemently denied leaking details from Rooney's private Instagram account and is seeking "substantial libel damages".

But she faced accusations from Rooney's attorney of being "an entirely unreliable witness".

After a week of testimony from the pair, their legal teams presented their final arguments, with Judge Karen Steyn reserving judgment to a later date.

English libel law places the onus on Rooney to prove that her post alleging she had narrowed down the leaked stories to Vardy's account is "substantially true".

Vardy is seeking compensation for the "distress caused by the publication (on Rooney's Instagram page)" and harm to her reputation.

However, Vardy has nevertheless faced lengthy cross-examination and was even questioned on an interview where she derided the penis size of her previous boyfriend, pop singer Peter Andre.

She has also been accused of selectively deleting messages ahead of the trial, thus proving the "thrust of the reveal post is substantially true".

But Vardy's lawyer has presented a very different picture, saying his client "made mistakes" by trusting former agent Caroline Watts, who may have sought to leak stories.

AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE