21 February 2024 , 11:37
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Wayne Rooney has opened up on the unusual role he played in his wife's Wagatha Christie court case.
The footballer's wife Coleen Rooney headed to court for the infamous trial after she accused fellow WAG Rebekah Vardy of leaking stories about her. Coleen had set up an elaborate "sting operation" to try and catch out Rebekah. After going public with her extensive findings, their dispute was quickly named Wagatha Christie.
The pair went to court in 2022 to settle their matters. Rebekah ended up losing the libel case and was left with a hefty £3million legal bill. Wayne stood by Coleen's side throughout the High Court trial and has since revealed the very hand-on approach he had. The ex Manchester United star admitted he became fascinated by the law and even told the barrister what questions to ask.
Speaking on the Stick to Football podcast, he confessed: "Sometimes you’ve got to have a bit of fun with the media! To be fair, it’s something that I’ve always watched and looked at as well. When Coleen had the court case with Rebekah Vardy, I was there with the barrister and the lawyers, and I was saying to the barrister, 'you need to ask this question'."
After the high profile case, Wayne's interest in the law didn't go away. He applied for a law course at university, as he said: "I did apply – it was to Nottingham University - I applied to go in and try and study, but then I did go away. I want to do it to get one of those wigs on!" Wayne eventually opted not to pursue a career in law.
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Wayne supported Coleen throughout her trial (SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images)Wayne and Coleen touched on his obsession with the law during their Disney+ documentary series. Coleen's lawyer Jamie Hurworth said: "Once the day was finished we would have a little debrief with Wayne and Coleen. I had not dealt with Wayne that much before the trial. But he was just fascinated by the whole thing.
"Wayne started suggesting, like, legal argument that we should start running." Coleen's lead lawyer Paul Lunt added: "I'm not saying he is a modern day Columbo but certainly had we have given him a gown and a wig he was bang up for asking a few questions." Wayne admitted he was fascinated by his days in the high court. He said: "Yeah, it was interesting because I do like crime documentaries and in particular the different techniques the two barristers used."
However, Coleen was less impressed when Wayne got involved in the debrief meetings, which also featured her barrister David Sherborne. "I just said 'Wayne shut up and let David or Paul speak'," Coleen recalled. Laughing she added: "He was then going to apply for law school and he had all these plans. But them little moments carried us through."