Warring wags summit to heal rift between Coleen Rooney and Becky Vardy ends in bitter deadlock
FORMER footie friends Coleen Rooney and Becky Vardy had their first legal arbitration meeting since their “Wagatha Christie” bust-up — and it ended in a bitter draw, The Sun on Sunday can reveal.
The feuding pair faced off alongside lawyers last week via Zoom in a bid to resolve their dispute, which was sparked by Coleen’s bombshell claim that Becky had leaked stories about her.
But it ended in a heated stalemate which means it is now set for extra time, possibly at a neutral venue — London’s High Court.
It is believed that the case could now “drag on for months” and result in six-figure legal fees after the failure of the clear-the-air summit.
The two footballers’ wives “met” last week with up to a dozen agents and legal representatives via video conferencing app Zoom in an Alternative Dispute Resolution session.
However, Coleen, 34, and Becky, 38, could not agree on a “way forward” that would avoid expensive litigation — and are now set for the dramatic High Court showdown.
A source said: “Basically, they are still at loggerheads and nothing has been resolved.”
Coleen, married to ex-Manchester United star Wayne, and Leicester striker Jamie’s wife Becky were once good friends, and were pictured cheering England on at tournaments. But they spectacularly fell out last year when mum-of-four Coleen accused Becky of leaking stories that she had planted on her private Instagram account.
TEARFUL DENIALS
Becky, who was seven months pregnant at the time, tearfully denied the allegation after flying home from a family holiday in Dubai.
She claimed that several people had access to her Instagram account.
After reported threats to sue and counter-sue, the former mates tried legal arbitration.
But our source added of their Zoom summit: “Unfortunately, it is crystal clear that they are still poles apart.
“So a civil case in the High Court now seems inevitable and this will cost a lot of money and bring a lot of fresh attention and headlines.”
In a bombshell statement last October, Coleen told her millions of social media followers she had turned detective after suspecting stories were being leaked.
She revealed that she had blocked all but one account from her private Instagram feed.
She said: “After a long time of trying to figure out who it could be, for various reasons, I had a suspicion.”
Coleen claimed she then posted a string of false stories to see if they would be published, which they were.
All the stories which were subsequently printed in The Sun were put to Coleen’s representatives for comment.
She then said the fake stories she planted had only been viewed by one person on Instagram, and ended dramatically: “It’s . . . Rebekah Vardy’s account.”
As her statement went viral, Coleen was dubbed “Wagatha Christie”, while an anti-Vardy backlash whipped up.
Shaken Becky contacted Coleen directly, then hit back on social media.
'I WISH YOU HAD CALLED ME'
She posted: “Can’t believe I’m even having to write this. I’m pregnant and on holiday and at a loss to why she would do this.”
Addressing Coleen directly, she added: “As I have just said to you on the phone, I wish you had called me if you thought this.
“If you thought this was happening, you could have told me and I could have changed my passwords to see if it stopped. Over the years, various people have had access to my Insta.”
In the fallout, it is believed Becky has threatened to sue for libel. Meanwhile, Coleen was said to have issued threats to counter-sue for breach of privacy.
But they are now set for a “cooling off” period before their legal battle reaches the next stage.
In a previous interview, Becky gave details of her immediate phone conversation with Coleen.
She recalled: “I said to her, ‘Coleen, what on earth have you done?’
“She said to me, ‘I’m not pointing the finger’ and I said, ‘You have just hung me out to dry. The whole world hates me’.”
Asked whether they had argued, Becky added: “That would be like arguing with a pigeon.
“You can tell it that you are right and it is wrong, but it’s still going to s*** in your hair.”
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She later revealed in a TV interview how she was taken to hospital three times while pregnant as she suffered anxiety attacks over the spat.
The mum of five said: “It was hideous and it was horrible and I don’t think I was prepared for what was to come.”
After the Wagatha Christie feud erupted, model Danielle Lloyd — who has dated several footballers — claimed during a live TV interview that she had experienced similar run-ins with Becky.
But Becky lashed back on Twitter: “Danielle Lloyd making false claims on This Morning that we have had ‘similar run-ins’ is utter b*****ks. She is just fuming that I ‘didn’t get Jamie recruiting’ for her like she asked me to…”
In December, Jamie announced the birth of his third child with Becky. Both also have kids from past relationships.
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