London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Saturday, Jul 18, 2026

Wagatha Christie: Rebekah Vardy to pay 90% of Coleen Rooney's legal costs

Wagatha Christie: Rebekah Vardy to pay 90% of Coleen Rooney's legal costs

Rebekah Vardy is expected to pay an estimated £1.5m towards Coleen Rooney's legal costs after losing a defamation case earlier this year.

Court documents show Mrs Vardy has been ordered to pay 90% of Mrs Rooney's legal fees.

An initial payment of £800,000 must be made by 15 November, the court documents said.

Earlier this year, a High Court judge ruled in Mrs Rooney's favour following the so-called Wagatha Christie trial.

Mrs Rooney's legal team have not yet produced a final total for their costs, but the last figure presented to the court was £1,667,860 - and 90% of that would be £1.5m if it remains unchanged.

Mrs Rooney incurred total costs of more than £2m, but £350,000 of those had already been racked up before the trial in May, so those were removed from the figure that her legal team presented to the court.

Mrs Rooney had argued she should be paid 100%, while Mrs Vardy had asked to pay 80%.

The order is to contribute to costs incurred, and is not a libel payment - because it was Mrs Vardy who was suing for libel and her claim failed.

Mrs Rooney, therefore, was not awarded any libel payment.

Coleen Rooney, pictured with husband Wayne during the trial in May


The final figure of costs Mrs Vardy has to pay may be reduced further if she does not agree to pay the 90% total incurred by Mrs Rooney and, at a later date, a court considers some of those costs to have been unreasonable.

Mrs Justice Steyn said there were certain issues which arose during the seven-day trial which justified the reduction of 10% in the amount Mrs Vardy has to pay, including Mrs Rooney's "weak" allegation that Mrs Vardy was one of the people behind The Sun's "Secret Wag" gossip column, and Mrs Rooney's unsuccessful public interest defence.

"However, given the defendant's success on the defence of truth which was at the heart of this claim, and the degree to which there was overlap between the issues, I consider that the appropriate reduction is 10%," the judge said.

On top of the estimated £1.5m, Mrs Vardy will have to pay her own legal costs, which could bring her combined bill to over £3m.

Mrs Vardy will also have to pay some of the costs incurred by seven journalists who were potential witnesses but did not give evidence.

The trial took place earlier this year after Mrs Rooney, the wife of former England footballer Wayne Rooney, conducted a sting operation in 2019, accusing Mrs Vardy online of leaking private stories about her to The Sun.

Mrs Vardy has always denied passing the information from Mrs Rooney's private Instagram to the newspaper.

But in July, Mrs Justice Steyn ruled that Mrs Rooney's accusation was "substantially true", saying it was likely Mrs Vardy "knew of, condoned and was actively engaged" in the process of leaking stories about Mrs Rooney to the Sun in collaboration with Mrs Vardy's agent, Caroline Watt.

Mrs Vardy, who is married to Leicester striker Jamie Vardy, said in a statement released at the time that she was "extremely sad and disappointed" at the judge's decision.

Mrs Rooney said she was "pleased" the ruling had gone in her favour, adding "it was not a case I ever sought or wanted".

The trial was dubbed "Wagatha Christie" - a reference to Wags, the wives and girlfriends of footballers, and Agatha Christie, the author famous for her whodunit mysteries.

Libel cases are mounted when an individual feels their reputation has been damaged following the publication of a false statement.

Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
For 36 Years, He Scammed About 300 Luxury Hotels — Until He Was Caught
Britain Nationalises British Steel to Protect Scunthorpe Production and Strategic Supply
Andy Burnham Takes Labour Leadership and Prepares to Become Britain’s Seventh Prime Minister in a Decade
Tech Companies Want to Move Computing Off Your Screen and Onto Your Body
White House Teleprompter Operator Earned More Than $100,000 From Bets Linked to the President's Speeches
French Prime Minister Survives No-Confidence Vote After Controversial Budget Cuts
European Commission Opens Excessive Deficit Procedure Against France
French Senate Blocks Key Immigration Reform Measures
French Government Pushes EU Action Against Ultra-Fast Fashion Imports
French Parliament Debates Expanded Autonomy Powers for Corsica
France Reopens Autonomy Talks With New Caledonia After Months of Unrest
Bordeaux Wine Producers Seek Three Hundred Million Euro Aid Package After Export Collapse
French Farmers Block Spain Border Crossings Over Imported Food Competition
Cannes Film Festival Bans Fully Artificial Intelligence-Generated Films From Competition
TotalEnergies Shifts More Than Three Billion Euros of Green Investment From Europe to the United States
LVMH Chief Executive Bernard Arnault Presents Succession Plan for Luxury Empire
Kering Reports Fifteen Percent Revenue Drop as Chinese Luxury Demand Weakens
Sanofi Reports Positive Results From Messenger RNA Respiratory Vaccine Trials
France Places Energy Price Caps Under Review to Protect Households Through Winter
EDF Connects Two New Nuclear Reactors to France’s Electricity Grid
Mistral Secures European Commission Contract for Sovereign Artificial Intelligence Models
Renault Opens Next-Generation Electric Battery Plant in Northern France
Air France Signs Two Billion Euro Sustainable Aviation Fuel Deal to Cut Emissions
Marseille Launches Three Billion Euro Port Expansion to Strengthen Mediterranean Trade Role
French-Owned Ubisoft Announces Global Restructuring With Nearly One Thousand Job Cuts
National Railway Operator Suspends Artificial Intelligence Ticket Pricing System After Consumer Backlash
United Kingdom to Ban Sales of High-Caffeine Energy Drinks to Under-Sixteens
Home Office Designates Iranian and Russian Paramilitary Groups as National Security Threats
National Health Service Launches Housing Plan to Retain London Healthcare Workers
British Heatwave Fuels Wildfires and Emergency Evacuations in Scotland
United Kingdom and Estonia Sign Defence Agreement to Strengthen NATO’s Eastern Flank
United Kingdom Cuts Bilateral Aid to African Nations by More Than Eighty Percent
Bank of England Overhauls Banking Rules to Encourage More Lending to Businesses
United Kingdom and India Free Trade Agreement Enters Into Force, Reshaping Bilateral Economic Ties
Andy Burnham Confirmed as New Labour Leader and Prime Minister-Designate
UK Government Faces Pressure Over Extreme Heat Workplace Rules
Lewisham Council Blocks Cooperation With Home Office Immigration Enforcement
UK Parliament Investigates Growing Pressures on Scotch Whisky Industry
Teen Hackers Sentenced Over Thirty-Nine Million Pound Transport for London Cyber Attack
Ministry of Defence Acquires Scottish Fuel Terminal to Strengthen Royal Navy Operations
Bank of England Eases Rules as Economic Growth Remains Weak
Bank of England Governor Warns Andy Burnham on Britain’s Long Economic Stagnation
UK Defence Ministry Buys Scottish Fuel Terminal to Secure Naval Energy Supplies
UK Secures Access to European Defence Contracts Through Ukraine Support Deal
Bank of England Plans Easier Capital Rules to Encourage More Lending
Met Office Says England and Wales Have Already Broken Summer Heat Records
Counter-Terrorism Police Lead Investigation Into Murder of Former Minister Ann Widdecombe
UK Government Nationalises British Steel to Protect Domestic Steel Production
French National Assembly Overrides Senate to Pass Historic Assisted-Dying Legislation
Spanish Prime Minister's Wife Ordered to Stand Trial as Corruption Probes Encircle Governing Party
×