17 October 2023 , 08:59
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Coleen Rooney has told of the impact the Wagatha Christie court case had on her physical and mental health, saying it "stripped me of my character."
Coleen was in court against fellow WAG Rebekah Vardy in the 'Wagatha Christie' case last year, after the wife of ex-England captain Wayne Rooney, had accused Vardy of leaking stories about her to the press. After a legal row lasting years and costing millions, the High Court concluded her accusation was "substantially true". Despite Coleen winning the case, the whole process left her feeling admittedly "ashamed" at times.
"Obviously, I’ve been through other difficult times in the public eye, especially with my marriage and the death of my sister," the 37-year-old said. "I’ve always held myself together but dealt with it in private, because it’s a private situation. For example, with my marriage, I can sit down with my husband in the house and deal with that. I can sit down with my family and we can console each other.
Coleen Rooney The Real Wagatha Story. Coleen Rooney as herself in Coleen Rooney The Real Wagatha Story. Cr. Ben Blackall/Disney+ 2023."I couldn’t sit down with Rebekah in a room and deal with it. From when she issued the court letter, it was all dealt with in the public eye. It was out of my control. While other times have been heartbreaking and upsetting, this was stressful. It caused anxiety and there were a lot of tears. I have reactive arthritis, and I’ve had it previously, but this situation brought it on a lot more than what I’ve had before. It stripped me of me, of my character, and I just didn’t want to socialise with people at all. I was completely in my own world."
Detailing how stressful it got, she added: "There were days when I’d have a teatime phone call with my legal team and it would take two hours, but then that call would develop into me finding documents, and I’d end up in files on my computer until midnight. There were also nights when I didn’t sleep as things were going through my mind. It drained me of my personality, my energy, and my character. It was not a nice place to be.
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Coleen Rooney [L] says the trial flared up her anxiety and arthritis"I would be on the phone crying and crying, saying to Paul [Stretford] our manager, “I don’t know if I can do this anymore”, and there were also times when I’d be about to say 'Just give her what she wants', but then something would drive me to say, “Coleen, you’re not being true to yourself, carry on.”
"Wayne was really supportive all the way through, telling me, “You’ve done nothing wrong, carry on and tell the truth and people will see you for you”. It was those comments that would pick me up. I was hoping that we could settle the case and we wouldn’t have to go to court. I wasn’t afraid of what was going to come up, as everything in our lives has been played out in the media, but I was scared of having to stand up and argue my case in court – that is not me. I would rather do it more quietly and sit around a table. A lot of people thought I’d taken Rebekah to court, but she drove the whole thing."
Coleen was speaking to promote her new three part Disney+ series which focuses on the court trial as well as other aspects of her life.
She revealed that just before the case started, she felt "ashamed" and wished it could have been settled without a trial. However, that would have meant she had to apologise, when she felt that was right in what she said.
Coleen added: "The lowest point was when the court case was getting close. I’ve never stepped into a courtroom before, and was so scared of getting on that stand. Even though I knew what I believed, it seemed like I was putting on a show for the whole country.
"I felt ashamed, and I tried to do everything I could to get out of going to court. But for that to happen, I’d have had to lie and take back what I said in my Instagram post, and I couldn’t do that. But I couldn’t focus on anything else in life either, and even though I’m not a massive worrier, this really got to me."
Despite the impact of the case, Coleen insists it has not changed her as a person. She said: "I wouldn’t say it’s changed me. I’ve always stood up for myself, and I won’t let anyone into my circle who I don’t trust from the start. That’s why it was such a big thing to me – someone who I thought I could trust went against what I believe in. It’s also made me realise how precious family time is, because I was wrapped up in the court case for so long and my mind was elsewhere. Even though I was looking after and caring for the children, I was always thinking about the court case and what was going to happen next. That’s quite sad, but it really consumed my life for a few years, so it’s a weight off my shoulders now, and I can get back to focusing properly on my family and friends, who mean a lot to me."
Coleen Rooney: The Real Wagatha Story launches on Disney+ tomorrow (Wednesday October 18)