Proving the old saying that love can conquer all, Coleen and Wayne Rooney will be celebrating an impressive 15 years of marriage next week.
The childhood sweethearts, both aged 37, wed as young 22-year-olds in a lavish Catholic ceremony in Italy in June 2008, where they were serenaded by Westlife and surrounded by stunning white flowers and twinkling lights.
Having faced more than their fair share of marital dramas since then, their anniversary on Monday is a milestone they often seemed unlikely to reach, as their 21-year relationship has been anything but plain sailing.
Coleen, who met former Manchester United and England captain Wayne when they were young teens growing up on Liverpool’s Croxteth estate, has coped with his infidelities and wayward behaviour, not to mention the added stress of her own Wagatha Christie court case.
Devoted parents to Kai, 13, Klay, 10, Kit, seven, and Cass, five, Wayne is currently working in America as manager of WashingtonDC United while Coleen holds the family unit together at their £20 million Cheshire home.
So what’s the secret to their relationship? 15 life lessons that Coleen had learned over her years with Wayne are key to keeping the Rooney marriage stronger than ever before…
1 Forgive… but never forget
Coleen is the first to admit Wayne has tested her wifely patience to its max over the years, particularly in regards to his various cheating escapades.
Speaking after her hubby was charged with drink driving after being stopped by police with fellow party-goer Laura Simpson in 2017, the mum of four said she could forgive, but would never forget. “Forgiveness, I’d say, is different,” she said in the Rooney documentary. “It’s not acceptable what he’s done but it’s happened and that was a stage of life that we were in at the time. But we’ve moved on.”
2 Money isn’t everything
Despite the Rooneys having a global property portfolio and reportedly being worth upwards of a staggering £100 million, the couple maintain that cash isn’t what makes their family content. “Not everything in our life is money related,” Coleen once explained. “People think when you earn a lot of money everything is fine. Yes there are advantages, but this isn’t everything in life and it doesn’t always make people happy.”
3 Trust your family
Growing up, Coleen was incredibly close to her boxing gym-manager dad Tony McLoughlin, and part-time cleaner mum Colette.
Given their bond, it’s no surprise she sought comfort back in the arms of her parents during the most difficult times in her marriage. “Obviously I listen to the people that matter to me, my mum and dad always give me a positive outlook on things,” she revealed on the Amazon Prime documentary Rooney. “There’s nothing that we can’t deal with and that’s my way in a situation - let’s sit down and see what we can do - and can we make it work? And we have.”
4 Never forget where you came from
“I’ll always be the girl from Liverpool, but my life has changed in so many ways,” Coleen explains. And despite spending their early married years jetting all over the world on exotic holidays, both she and Wayne have never forgotten their strong Liverpool roots and never take their good fortune for granted.
“Sometimes Wayne will sit there and say: ‘I can’t believe it’,” Coleen wrote in her autobiography, Welcome To My world. “But you don’t take it for granted. If either of us did, we’d say something.”
5 Be persistent
Footbaling ace Wayne was known as a determined player on the pitch and it’s clearly a trait that helped him win over his childhood sweetheart.
“I knew that I wanted to go out with her, wanted to marry her,” Wayne recalled [in the Amazon Prime doc]. “I said to her at the time when we grow up we’re going to get married and you’re going to have our kids”.
According to Coleen - who was just 12 when she first met Wayne - she was initially wary of accepting his later requests for a date but he refused to take no for an answer. The rest is history.
6 Surround yourself with good people
As testament to their lack of celebrity egos, Coleen and Wayne have remained incredibly close to many of the childhood friends they had as youngsters.
“People are everything, and people are what make me the happiest in life,” Coleen reveals. Wayne’s cousin Claire Rooney has been Coleen’s BFF since the pair were small and their bond has long outlasted many of her celeb friendships.
“We surround ourselves with friends and family who are genuine, kind and caring people,” she says.
7 'Do to others what you would have them do to you'
Coleen’s strong religious faith and moral compass have helped guide throughout her life and she’s keen to pass those onto her own boys.
Paraphrasing the Bible verse, Coleen explains, “I always say to my children don’t do or say to others what you wouldn’t like done or said to yourself or your loved ones.”
8 Make your own money
While some of today’s football WAGs appear content living off their other halves, Coleen has been incredibly savvy with her profile, ensuring she has financial security with or without Wayne.
She’s rumoured to be worth around £14 million, accumulated through a number of lucrative contracts and other ventures such as her exercise DVD and four-book fashion series.
In 2008 she signed a £500,000 deal to create a jewellery range for Argos, followed by a whopping £2 million clothing deal contract with Littlewoods.
9 Keep away from alcohol
Gym-loving Coleen has made no secret of the fact she doesn’t like her husband Wayne’s love of a tipple or three. Following his drink drive conviction in 2017 she was quick to put some of the blame on the bottle.
“In life you don’t know what’s going to happen tomorrow,” she reflected. “But one thing I do know is that too much alcohol on a night out is dangerous and a lot of stupid mistakes are made and things are said under the influence. I would never trust anyone who has had a lot of alcohol, it changes some people drastically.”
10 Remember, people can change
Speaking about the more turbulent times in her marriage with Wayne, Coleen insists he deserves the benefit of the doubt.
After being photographed without her wedding ring following a particularly tumultuous time, the business mogul demonstrated her seemingly endless patience, saying: “He’s made silly and selfish mistakes, some he’s learnt from, some obviously not. However maybe that will change?"
11 Keep the family unit strong
The Rooneys are undoubtedly devoted parents to Kai, Klay, Kit and Cass, regularly sharing photos of their special moments from holidays to pancake tossing.
Throughout everything they’ve been through over the last 15 years, the couple have certainly put work in to keep their family together.
Explaining why she’s been so forgiving of Wayne, Coleen said: “I know I would be fine on my own, with just me and my children, but I don’t want to live like that, I want to try and continue our marriage and live as a family.”
12 Remember that life is short
Coleen is very aware that life can take a tragic turn, having lost her younger sister in 2013. Rosie, who died at the age of 14, had Rett Syndrome, which is a brain development disorder.
Now the couple give back to various charities, with Coleen regularly supporting the Alder Hey Children’s Hospital and Charity which helped care for her little sister.
13 Mind your own business
While she doesn’t relish advice from those outside her inner circle, Coleen does rely heavily on those closest to her, especially her parents, who have “ always given me a positive outlook on things.”
“You have so many people saying different things to you. ‘Oh why is she getting back with him?’. When you’re making those decisions you’ve got to focus on what you want and not other people.”
14 Confront problems head on
Not a lot gets past Coleen, as proved by the Wagatha Christie scandal which ended up in the English High Court in summer 2022 with Rebekah suing fellow WAG, Rebekah Vardy for defamation.
After the judge ruled in her favour, Coleen made it clear she is not one to back down from a fight, explaining that attempts to avoid “such a drawn out and public court case” were knocked back by Rebekah, leaving her with “no alternative but to go through with the case to defend myself and to end the repeated leaking of my private information”.
15 Listen to your Priest
Coleen has continued to seek solace in the Catholic church during times of crisis and has shared happy photos of her brood being christened and taking Holy Communion.
At the couple’s marriage ceremony in the Italian Riviera, they received a few poignant words from their Catholic priest. “The future will have its ups and its disappointments, its successes and failures, its pleasures and pains, its joys and sorrows,” Father Edward Quinn told them.
“The love you have for each other will bind you together for life in a relationship that will influence your whole future.”
How right he was!
