A judge has ruled against Rebekah Vardy in her libel case against Coleen Rooney, bringing a close to the saga that became widely known as “Wagatha Christie.”
Rooney infamously conducted a sting operation to determine who had been allegedly leaking stories about her to The Sun newspaper. In October 2019, she dramatically disclosed the results of her investigation in a social media post.
“It’s ………. Rebekah Vardy’s account.”
In response, Vardy, the wife of Leicester City star Jaime Vardy, brought a libel lawsuit against Rooney, the wife of ex-England star and current D.C. United head coach Wayne Rooney.
On Friday, judge Mrs Justice Steyn dismissed Vardy’s libel claim against Rooney, handing a major victory to Rooney.
“The claim has been dismissed,” a summary of the ruling says. “The defendant succeeded in establishing that the essence of the libel was substantially true. The defendant’s alternative defence of publication in the public interest was rejected.”
Rooney released a statement after the ruling, saying: “Although I bear Mrs Vardy no ill-will, today’s judgment makes clear that I was right in what I said in my posts of October 2019.”
Vardy, meanwhile, said she was “devastated” by the ruling in a statement of her own.
“I am extremely sad and disappointed at the decision that the judge has reached,” Vardy said. “It is not the result that I had expected, nor believe was just. I brought this action to vindicate my reputation and am devastated by the judge’s finding.”
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