London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Thursday, Jul 09, 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
Westminster in Freefall as Farage's By-Election Gamble Triggers Broader Systemic Crises
Institutional Fractures and Political Volatility Reshape Britain's Domestic Landscape
Deadly Fire, Health Emergencies and Political Upheaval Shape a Volatile Global News Cycle
Flight Instructor Jumped to His Death — Student Landed the Plane: "You Know What You Need to Do"
The Physical and Electronic Barriers Disrupting Domestic Wireless Networks
France and Morocco Open World Cup Quarter-Finals as Collina Defends Refereeing
Prince Harry Suffers Major Court Defeat in Legal Battle Against Daily Mail Publisher
Bonnie Tyler, Welsh Singer Behind Total Eclipse of the Heart, Dies at 75
Barclays and PwC Report Examines Economic Opportunities from Financial Asset Tokenisation
Pound Sterling Strengthens as Investors Anticipate Further Bank of England Rate Increases
British Business Bank Invests Twenty-Seven Million Pounds in Kraken Technology Defence Expansion
UK Business Secretary Peter Kyle Backs State Investment Strategy Inspired by US Approach
UK Electricity System Issues Margin Notice as Heatwave Tightens Evening Supply Outlook
Labour Leadership Contest Opens as Andy Burnham Emerges as Expected Sole Candidate
Tech Pulse: The Future of AI and Screen Culture
Global News Briefing: Escalating Geopolitical Tensions and Corporate Shakeups
Global News Brief: Escalating Conflicts, Public Health Crises, and World Cup Drama
Rare Early Copy of US Declaration of Independence Found in British Archive
Cornish Language Revival Gains Momentum Through Schools and Community Programs
UK Authorities Face Criticism Over Prisoner Early Release Safeguards
Clacton By-Election Set After Nigel Farage Resigns Seat to Trigger Contest
Government Agencies Review Long-Term Fiscal Risks from Aging Population and Low Productivity
UK Heatwaves Expose Pressure on Public Transport and Housing Infrastructure
UK Government Prepares Welfare Review Amid Debate Over Personal Independence Payment Reform
UK Government Expands Rapid Endometriosis Testing Across NHS Services
Vistry Group Issues Profit Warning as UK Housing Market Faces Continued Pressure
Virgin Media Receives Record Twenty-Eight Million Pound Fine Over Contract Cancellation Failures
Office for Budget Responsibility Warns UK Public Finances Face Long-Term Pressure
UK Watchdog Warns Regional Income Gap Has Barely Narrowed in Three Decades
IMF Raises United Kingdom Growth Forecast as Inflation and Energy Pressures Ease
UK Government Launches Regulatory Reform Bill to Speed Up Commercialization of Innovation
Prince Harry Loses Privacy Lawsuit Against Daily Mail Publisher After High Court Rejects Claims
Federal Financial Framework Shifts as Treasury Launches Universal Savings Program for Minors
Jet2 Reports Strong Summer Travel Demand as Bookings Rise Seven Percent
Prince Harry Loses High Court Privacy Case Against Daily Mail Publisher
British Universities Warn Against Potential European Union Tuition Fee Changes
Heal Fertility Clinic Investigated After Embryo Biopsy Sample Mix-Up
Resolution Foundation Warns Regional Income Divide Has Barely Improved Since 1997
British Markets Remain Cautious as Middle East Tensions Rise and Government Transition Nears
Andy Burnham Poised to Become United Kingdom Prime Minister in Expected Political Transition
Nigel Farage Resigns as Member of Parliament Ahead of By-Election Amid Funding Investigation
Trump Declares Iran Ceasefire Over After Renewed Attacks on United States Bases
French Court Allows Le Pen to Run for Presidency, but with an Electronic Tag: "I Will Appeal, and I Will Run"
$1.4 Trillion: The Lawsuit That Could Crush Meta
Europe's Growing Struggle with Extreme Heat and Air Conditioning
UK Daily Briefing: Legal Developments and Social Issues
Political Turmoil and Rising Costs
Anthropic Reengineers Agentic Architecture to Shift Autonomous Workplace Automation to the Cloud
Logic Flaw in Windows 11 Permission Architecture Silently Consumes Hundreds of Gigabytes of Local Storage
Apple Advances Late-Stage Operating Systems with Fourth Beta Deployments
×