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Football fans in hysterics over courtroom sketch of Wayne Rooney

Sam Goodwin
·Sports Editor
·4-min read
Wayne Rooney, pictured here in a courtroom sketch with wife Coleen.
Wayne Rooney's depiction in courtroom sketches have gone viral. Image: Twitter/Getty

Wayne Rooney's appearance in court this week alongside wife Coleen has drawn the attention of fans and casual followers for one hilarious reason.

Coleen has taken Rebekah Vardy (wife of Leicester City striker Jamie) to the High Court in London in a high-profile libel dispute dubbed the 'WAGatha Christie' case.

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The battle between the footballers' wives - mixing glamour, amateur sleuthing and intimate revelations - has gripped the global media and public.

Vardy, 40, is suing her former friend for libel after Rooney accused her of leaking stories about her after staging an elaborate sting operation to find out who was passing on details of her private life to The Sun tabloid.

The battle has been dubbed the 'WAGatha Christie' case - a reference to the 'WAG' moniker given to the glamorous group of athlete's wives and girlfriends - as well as Rooney's detective work.

Coleen's husband Wayne has been supporting her in court, but his appearance has somewhat taken the spotlight off the actual case.

And it's all because of the courtroom artist's sketches of the former Manchester United and England star.

Fans and commentators have been left in hysterics by the depictions of Rooney, which some believe look nothing like the 36-year-old.

Rebekah Vardy denies leaking stories to The Sun

Vardy told the High Court on Tuesday she "didn't leak anything", having passed by the Rooneys on her way to the witness box.

"I didn't give any information to a newspaper," she said.

The intrigue began almost three years ago when Rooney became suspicious about stories appearing in The Sun involving information about her from her personal Instagram account.

She then turned detective to try to find out who the culprit was.

Rooney said she blocked everyone from viewing her account except one person and then posted a series of false stories to see whether they leaked out, which she said they had.

Rebekah Vardy, pictured here leaving the High Court after the second day of her libel case.
Rebekah Vardy leaves the High Court after the second day of her libel case. (Photo by Wiktor Szymanowicz/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images) (Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)

She wrote on her social media accounts that only one person had viewed the false stories, concluding with the revelation: "It's ... Rebekah Vardy's account."

Facing questions from Rooney's lawyer David Sherborne, Vardy agreed leaking private, personal information was wrong.

She was then quizzed about a 2004 newspaper interview she had given in which she detailed a sexual encounter with singer Peter Andre with derogatory details about his genitalia.

"I was forced into doing something I didn't want to do," she told the courtroom, blaming her ex-husband for making her do the interview.

"It was something that I was forced to say."

Coleen and Wayne Rooney, pictured here leaving the Royal Courts of Justice in London.
Coleen and Wayne Rooney leave the Royal Courts of Justice in London. (Photo by Wiktor Szymanowicz/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images) (Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)

Sherborne also asked her about a message exchange she had with her agent Caroline Watt in 2017 about photoshopped photos of an unnamed friend to make her look thinner in which Vardy said: "Can we not leak a story?"

Vardy told the court she "didn't mean it to say that" and she had wanted to do a story about promoting positive body image.

The trial is expected to last seven days. Rooney will have to prove that her accusations are either substantially true or in the public interest.

with AAP

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