The Wagatha Christie saga has erupted once again, with Rebekah Vardy declaring that hell will freeze over before she apologises to Coleen Rooney over the infamous libel case that gripped Britain.
Vardy, 44, made the remarks in May ahead of the release of her family's new ITV reality series, The Vardys, which follows her husband Jamie Vardy's move from Leicester City to Italian side Cremonese. She said she was never, ever going to apologise for something she did not do, adding that she was living with the judgment but still believed the judge was wrong.
The feud began in 2019 when Coleen Rooney published her celebrated social media post accusing Rebekah Vardy's account of leaking stories about her to The Sun. Using detective work that earned her the Wagatha Christie nickname, Rooney had planted fake stories visible only to Vardy's account and watched them appear in the press. Vardy denied the claims and sued for libel in 2020; the judge ruled in Rooney's favour in 2022, ordering Vardy to cover both sides' legal costs, with the total reported at more than £3 million.
The rivalry has since moved from the courtroom to the screen. The Rooneys launched a Disney+ docuseries in which Coleen discusses the trial, with the trailer teasing whether the couple are allowed to say the word Wagatha. Vardy trademarked the term Wagatha Christie back in 2023, a move that allows her to exploit it commercially while preventing others from profiting from it.
Coleen's camp has claimed a second victory over Vardy, with insiders telling The Sun they were amused by the reception of The Vardys, which they dismissed as a yawn-fest compared to the Disney+ series. One source said Coleen's friendship group had been sharing disparaging reviews of the show, calling it a win-win for Rooney.
The saga has also continued in the courts on costs. In the latest twist, Vardy appealed a finding that lawyers who declared a £221,000 costs budget had committed no misconduct, with her counsel arguing the submissions were clearly misleading, though accepting no actual loss resulted. Rooney's team described the appeal as an attempt to unwind a substantial part of the indemnity costs order.
Four years on from the trial, neither side shows any sign of letting go. With both families now fronting rival reality series and the lawyers still arguing over costs, the most expensive WAG war in British history shows no sign of ending quietly.