Channel 4 have released the first pictures of a two-part drama which explores the ‘Wagatha Christie’ legal battle which took place this summer.
Bafta-winning This Is England actress Chanel Cresswell is pictured as Coleen Rooney in a first look at Vardy V Rooney: A Courtroom Drama, while Harry Potter’s Natalia Tena takes on the role of Rebekah Vardy.
Good Omens actor Michael Sheen will also play Rooney’s barrister David Sherborne, whose previous clients include Diana, Princess of Wales, and Johnny Depp, alongside Simon Coury as Vardy’s barrister, Hugh Tomlinson QC.
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It also sees Dion Lloyd play former Manchester United midfielder Wayne Rooney and Marton Nagyszokolyai take the role of current Leicester City striker Jamie Vardy.
Channel 4 said its film “recreates the high drama, high stakes High Court defamation case” based on the court transcripts. A short clip of the show will also be available on Monday (November 28).
Dubbed the #WagathaChristie case when it first unfolded on social media in 2019, the audacious case made headlines around the world. The trial saw, Vardy, 40, lost a libel battle against 36-year-old Rooney over a viral social media post after a High Court judge found it was “substantially true”.
In the post, which went viral in October 2019, Rooney said she had carried out a months-long “sting operation” and accused Vardy of leaking “false stories” about her private life to the press. Her sleuthing efforts saw her dubbed ‘Wagatha Christie’ in reference to the popular mystery writer Agatha Christie and the term referring to sports people’s wives and girlfriends (Wags).
The high-profile court case is also being turned into a West End play with stage actress Lucy May Barker playing Vardy while Laura Dos Santos, who has appeared in Doctor Who, will play Rooney. Vardy V Rooney: The Wagatha Christie Trial is running at Wyndham’s Theatre until January 10.
In August, Disney+ confirmed it is creating a three-part documentary series about the court battle with “exclusive access” to Rooney.
Vardy V Rooney: A Courtroom Drama is set to air on Channel 4 in December.
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