I never wanted this says Coleen Rooney as Rebekah Vardy court ruling finally brings 'closure'

Coleen Rooney said it is a “relief” to finally get “closure” after a longstanding battle with Rebekah Vardy.

Tensions have been running high between the two pair since October 2019, when Rooney accused Vardy of leaking posts from her private Instagram account to the S*n newspaper.

Vardy brought a libel battle against Rooney for social media posts in which she outlined her ‘sting’ operation to find out who was leaking the stories, later alleging on X (formerly) Twitter: “It was… Rebekah Vardy’s account.”

A highly-publicised High Court trial took place in 2022 and Rooney’s claim was found to be “substantially true”, with Vardy losing the case and being ordered to pay 90% of Rooney’s legal costs.

A specialist costs court was told on Tuesday (May 6) that Vardy had agreed to pay £1,190,000 of Rooney’s legal bill, and that Rooney was asking for a further £315,000 in “assessment costs”.

Costs Judge Mark Whalan said that it was “reasonable and proportionate” for Vardy to pay £212,266.20 of Rooney’s assessment costs, inclusive of VAT but before interest, on top of the £1.19m settlement, totalling at least £1,402,266.20.

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Sharing a statement on Instagram on Wednesday (May 8), Coleen said: “The ruling yesterday in my favour finally brings this claim to an end, it’s a relief and brings closure for my family and I.

“Throughout this long process, I am grateful that the judgements have consistently gone my way. However, as I have always maintained, this claim did not need to be made or run for as long as it did. The time and money should have been put to better use.”

“I want to thank my legal representatives, management, friends and family for their guidance and support. Thanks also to the public and many well-wishers who have been in touch with such kind messages.

“This episode is not something that I ever wanted in my life. However, I am thankful for the way my family and team have dealt with it. We love forward to moving on with our lives.”