Weeping WAG Rebekah Vardy claimed yesterday that Coleen Rooney “armed” her fans when she accused her of leaking stories to the press.
Ms Vardy broke down in court and the hearing had to be halted twice as she described the fallout from Ms Rooney’s famous “WAGatha Christie” tweet.
It stated that she had been betrayed and added: “It is… Rebekah Vardy’s account”.
The 40-year-old wife of Leicester City star Jamie Vardy said she was immediately bombarded with despicable assault and death threats.
She told the Supreme Court, “Looks like she armed her fanbase against me”.
The mother of five wiped away tears when she was accused of leaking private information about Ms Rooney, attempting to destroy incriminating evidence and shifting the blame onto her agent and friend Caroline Watt.
Mrs Rooney’s lawyer David Sherborne claimed that Mrs Vardy betrayed Mrs Watt by “throwing her under the bus”.
Ms Vardy sobbed: “She has been driven to suicidal thoughts by this procedure and the antics of the defendant (Mrs Rooney)”.
The footballer’s wife was led from the court in tears twice during the hearing and at the end of the day as she struggled during cross-examination by Mr Sherborne.
She has shared how she received a “stream of insults” and death threats within moments of Ms Rooney’s social media post in 2019.
She was seven months pregnant and feared she would lose her unborn baby.
Ms Vardy is suing Ms Rooney – wife of former England striker Wayne Rooney – for libel over the post, which led to her being called “WAGatha Christie”.
She accused Ms Rooney of deliberately causing a furore, saying: “She knows exactly how aggressive and mean the social media community can be… she should have used her influence and reach to deter the trolls. She didn’t.”
In a series of tense conversations with Mr Sherborne, Ms Vardy was repeatedly accused of leaking information from Ms Rooney’s private Instagram account to The Sun and of lying in her evidence in court.
Mr Sherborne asked: “Do you disagree, Ms. Vardy, that if it looks like a leak and it sounds like a leak – and you even use the word leak – it’s more likely to be a leak. you’re a leak aren’t you?”
“No,” Mrs. Vardy said repeatedly, shaking her head and wiping her eyes.
The lawyer claimed she betrayed Ms Watt, expecting her to “do the dirty work” by contacting reporters and then trying to blame her.
He said: “You betrayed her by throwing her under the bus”.
Mrs. Vardy collapsed, shook her head and muttered, “That’s a joke”.
WhatsApp messages between Ms Watt and Ms Vardy were read to the court in which the two women discussed messages on Ms Rooney’s private Instagram account.
Ms. Vardy insists they were gossiping and that she was joking about the information being leaked, though she has admitted that Ms Watt may have contacted journalists.
Ms Watt, 40, was due to be called as a witness, but the court has been informed that she is now receiving psychiatric care and is deemed too unwell to testify.
Experts were also unable to analyze her iPhone after she accidentally dropped it overboard while filming the Scottish coastline on a boat trip – days after a court ordered the mobile to be searched.
Sherborne said the episode was part of a “catalogue of so-called unfortunate events” that influenced the case.
The court heard that screenshots and videos sent via WhatsApp chat between Ms. Vardy and Ms. Watt were permanently deleted during a data transfer and that Ms. Vardy’s laptop was thrown away after it stopped working.
Ms Vardy repeatedly denied that she intentionally removed potentially incriminating evidence and threw away her laptop. She said she believed the messages would have been “extremely helpful” in proving her case.
Mr Sherborne previously accused her of “selective amnesia” because of her memories of events. She denied orchestrating a tip to paparazzi about a photo of her with other English WAGS — wives and girlfriends — during the 2018 World Cup in Russia.
She and Mrs. Watt exchanged messages in which they appeared to be planning the photo, but Mrs. Vardy said it was just meant to be a photo of her.
The photo sparked complaints from wags and at least one player, as English football bosses wanted media attention to be focused on the team and the tournament rather than the wives.
In a message to Ms Watt, Ms Vardy said “England will do their best”.
When asked about an article about the Wags at the World Cup, Ms Vardy said: “To be honest, I don’t remember at all”.
Mr Sherborne replied: “Well, I’d much rather have you be honest because you’re on a witness stand under oath”.
The court also heard a message she sent to Ms Rooney suggesting that her phone may have been hacked.
She denied that it was an attempt to divert the suspicion from her.
In an awkward conversation, she was also asked about an article claiming that Rooney’s marriage was over – with Mrs. Rooney and Wayne sitting a few feet away.
Ms Rooney, 36, is expected to begin her evidence in the AUD$5 million libel lawsuit today.
She took copious notes through the evidence of former girlfriend Ms. Vardy and has reportedly signed a contract with Netflix to make a documentary about the trial.
The case continues.
Singer Peter Andre complained yesterday that he has been getting “hit after hit” for years after Ms. Vardy compared his genitals to a chipolata.
The quote was mentioned earlier in the case.
Andre, 49, who is said to have had an affair with Ms Vardy in 2001, posted a video online claiming there would be “absolute outrage” if he made a joke about her anatomy.
He added: “I’ve been using it for 15 years”.