Vardy challenges Rooney’s legal bill after losing ‘WAGatha Christie’ libel case

Coleen Rooney, wife of ex-England soccer captain Wayne Rooney, spent more than 1.8 million pounds on a high-profile libel case brought against her by Rebekah Vardy, wife of her husband’s former teammate, a London court heard on Monday.

Vardy, who lost the case, is now continuing the legal battle that briefly gripped Britain, arguing over the bill for Rooney’s legal fees, which she has been saddled with after her defeat.

The wife of Leicester City striker Jamie Vardy, Rebekah had sued for libel after Rooney accused her of leaking stories about her to the Sun tabloid – prompting a trial which drew in the public with its mix of glamour, soccer and online sleuthing.

For her sleuthing Rooney was dubbed “WAGatha Christie”, after the “WAGs” moniker given to footballers’ wives and girlfriends, and the renowned author of numerous detective novels.

Rooney had turned investigator to track down the culprit of the leaks, blocking everyone from viewing her Instagram account except one person – Vardy – and then posted a series of false stories to see whether they leaked out, which they did.

When Rooney named Vardy as the culprit, Vardy sued and began a case that ended in the High Court ruling in 2022 that Rooney proved her allegation was “substantially true”.

With Vardy facing Rooney’s legal bill, her lawyer Jamie Carpenter argued in court filings that the bill included a senior lawyer staying at a London hotel, where they incurred charges for dinner, drinks and the mini bar, “all of which are claimed”.

Carpenter also said Rooney’s trial advocate David Sherborne – a high-profile lawyer who separately represents Prince Harry and others in phone-hacking litigation – incurred fees of nearly 500,000 pounds for the whole case.

Rooney, however, said Vardy’s conduct in denying any knowledge of the leaks before suggesting it might be her former agent shortly before trial caused significant expense.

The hearing, which neither Rooney nor Vardy attended, before Judge Andrew Gordon-Saker is due to conclude on Wednesday.