Rebekah Vardy told the High Court she was ‘just kidding’ following an allegation she leaked a story about a celebrity having an affair with a footballer.
The 40-year-old is currently suing Coleen Rooney after he was publicly accused of leaking “false stories” to the media in 2019.
Rooney claimed to have carried out an “undercover operation” to catch who was sharing stories about her private life, which she identified as Vardy in a viral social media post.
Vardy on the spot on the story of a married English footballer – Wagatha Christie Live
Rooney, who is married to Derby County Executive Wayne Rooney, is defending the libel claim on the basis of truth and the public interest.
Vardy, who is married to Leicester City striker Jamie Vardy, took the witness box on day two of the ‘Wagatha Christie’ libel trial, where she was asked about messages between her and the agent Caroline Watt.
The messages concerned an affair between a ‘well-known celebrity’, named Ms F, and a footballer, identified as MG
Rooney’s lawyer, David Sherborne, told the court that Vardy texted his agent, saying: “Omg did you see how badly Ms. F is behaving x… I’m actually disgusted by her x. “
She then sent another message which read, “Leaked story of her s******* G behind H’s back”.
The court heard Ms Watt respond: ‘I tried before but The Sun already knew about it and couldn’t prove it as usual.
Asked about the posts, Vardy said she was “just kidding” when she made the comment.
‘Fuming I didn’t give it to you sooner’
The court also heard Vardy told her agent she ‘wanted to pay’ for information about former Leicester City player Danny Drinkwater leaving police custody after crashing his car in 2019.
The footballer was banned from driving for 20 months and ordered to perform 70 hours of community service after pleading guilty to drunk driving.
Court heard Vardy texted his agent Caroline Watt telling her Drinkwater had been arrested
Danny Drinkwater. Photo: AP
“Danny Drinkwater was arrested…He crashed his car drunk with 2 girls in it…Both in hospital, one with broken ribs,” court documents show.
Ms Watt told Vardy that ‘they’ should confirm with the police ‘before writing it’ – Mr Sherborne said that meant The Sun, which Vardy confirmed.
Read more:
The “Wagatha Christie” case explained
Rebekah Vardy testifies for the first time
“I was just chatting”
Questions have also been raised about Manchester City footballer Riyad Mahrez, with Vardy being asked about messages she sent to Ms Watt about her missing a training session in 2018.
Vardy told Ms Watt: “The guys are pissed.”
Riyadh Mahrez. Photo: AP
Speaking in court, she explained: “It was just speculation about information that I had heard and heard, and also read in the press before.
“Yes, it doesn’t look good there, I was talking about things that were already in the public domain. I was just gossiping.”
She denied a charge that her agent passed information to The Sun about other Leicester players’ reactions to Mr Mahrez’s absence from the session.
The court has already heard that the two women have spent “hundreds of thousands of pounds” on the case so far, with the total cost of the case expected to be at least £2million.
The fake stories Rooney planted on her Instagram during the sting operation featured her traveling to Mexico for a ‘gender selection’ procedure, her plans to return to television and her home’s basement flooding .
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