Wagatha Christie verdict: When is Coleen Rooney, Rebekah Vardy trial outcome & when will C4 drama be on TV?

The court case that has gripped the country since revelations were unveiled back in 2019, including that legendary “gotcha” moment.

Ever since Coleen Rooney uttered the immortal words “it’s Rebekah Vardy”, the footballer’s wives became embroiled in a defamation lawsuit, that culminated in nine days in court back in May of 2022.

Since the explosive “revelation”, the Wagatha Christie affair has been a constant across social media, and is set to continue until a verdict is reached this week.

Vardy vs. Rooney; A Courtroom Drama has been announced as a Channel 4 commission, helmed by production company Chalkboard TV, responsible for quiz show One Question and Murder, Mystery and My Family.

What is Vardy v Rooney; A Courtroom Drama all about?

The two part drama series will recreate the high court defamation case, using the real, unabridged court transcripts to bring to audiences the “incredible and unbelievable moments from a case” that were not allowed to be televised.

The courtroom scenes will be placed alongside analysis from the media and on social media, with actors taking on the roles of Coleen Rooney, Rebekah Vardy, former England and Everton star Wayne Rooney and Leicester City striker Jamie Vardy.

The factual drama was commissioned for Channel 4 by commissioning editor Tim Hancock with Head of Factual Entertainment, Alf Lawrie. Tom Popay is Executive Producer for Chalkboard, with Oonagh Kearney directing and Chris Atkins writing

The cast for the two-part drama has yet to be finalised.

Why are Channel 4 making a courtroom drama about Vardy v Rooney?

The interest across social media in the whodunnit and subsequent trial has been phenomenal, almost akin to the Depp v Heard trial, also earlier this year. Frequent users on Instagram and Twitter would see #WagathaChristie trend when new information came to light.

“This trial utterly captivated the public with its daily feed of entertaining exchanges and jaw-dropping reveals,” director Oonagh Kearney explains. “But behind this, is a story of two women under constant public scrutiny, fighting for their reputations.

“It’s a privilege to work with Channel 4, writer Chris Atkins and the fantastic Chalkboard team to peel back the layers of this story and reveal the beating hearts within.”

Channel 4 commissioning editor Tim Hancock also revealed during the announcement the wealth of information that the public were not privy to.

““The court transcripts are utterly compelling and give a deep insight into the relationship between celebrities and the media, as well as showing how far some people will go to protect their reputation.”

What was the Wagatha Christie case all about?

In order to catch who was selling her stories to the press, Rooney set up an Instagram account to have restricted access on who could see what she posted.

The false stories she posted made their way to the press, leading to Coleen Rooney accusing Rebekah Vardy of selling her information to the media.

It coined the now immortal line “It’s… Rebekah Vardy!”

Vardy had continually denied her involvement in the leak and implied that her Instagram account was hacked.

Vardy commenced to sue Rooney for defamation in June 2020 and at a preliminary High Court hearing on 19 November 2020, Mr Justice Warby found that Rooney had used defamatory words about Vardy.

It will be up to Rooney to prove Vardy was personally responsible for leaking stories to The S*n, or convince the judge that publication of the allegation was in the public interest.

So who won the case in the end?

We will find out on Friday.

Earlier this week, Mrs. Justice Steyn confirmed that on Friday July 29 at 12pm she will pass her judgement on the three-year long battle.

The judgement will be handed down remotely - so don’t expect to see any confrontations outside of court.

But do expect Vardy vs. Rooney; A Courtroom Drama to appear on Channel 4 later in the year.