Court drama is truly having a moment. While most of the internet has been completely consumed by the trial of Johnny Depp and Amber Heard, in the UK everyone is obsessed with the war of the WAGs (yes, that means wives and girlfriends of soccer players) as Coleen Rooney and Rebekah Vardy headed to court for the conclusion to the legendary saga of Wagatha Christie, a play on the iconic mystery writer.
A reminder of how we got here: Back in October 2019, Rooney, wife of former soccer star–turned-manager Wayne Rooney, published a post on Instagram essentially accusing someone with access to Vardy’s Instagram account of selling fake stories about her to British tabloids.
“For a few years now someone who I trusted to follow me on my personal Instagram account has been consistently informing The SUN newspaper of my private posts and stories,” Coleen Rooney wrote.
She explained that she had been planting fake Instagram stories on her private account and had blocked all her other friends from viewing them with one exception.
“It’s ………. Rebekah Vardy’s account,” she wrote.
The entire thing sent the internet into a frenzy, birthing the hilarious label “Wagatha Christie” as a nod to Coleen Rooney’s investigative skills and creating the “It’s……….. Rebekah Vardy’s account” meme.
Vardy, a fellow WAG, quickly denied the allegations, and in June 2020 she came back swinging when she filed a defamation claim in the Queen’s Bench Division of the High Court.
Nearly two years later and after several attempts to mediate, the women had their moment in court. The case began May 10. And it’s the stuff of daytime TV gold, so we rounded up the best moments.
