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Daily Mirror
Daily Mirror
Entertainment
Katherine Heslop

Gemma Collins gets surprise mention in Wagatha Channel 4 drama thanks to DOI faceplant

The list of celebrities dragged into the Wagatha Christie court case drama is, perhaps unsurprisingly, rather long, from Peter Andre to Danielle Lloyd and Gemma Collins.

Even the most eagle-eyed Wagatha watchers might not have realised the TOWIE star got a mention in the trial earlier this year, but the surprising moment was bought up again in tonight's Channel 4 drama Vardy V Rooney.

The two-parter dramatises the sensational trial at the Royal Courts of Justice, which saw Rebekah Vardy, 41, attempt to sue Coleen Rooney, 36, for libel, after Coleen accused her fellow WAG of leaking stories about her to the press.

Rebekah, who still denies she was the leaker, ultimately lost the trial and was ordered to pay Coleen around £1.5million in legal costs.

Natalia Tena plays Rebekah Vardy in the Channel 4 drama Vardy V Rooney (Getty, Channel 4)

While on the stand, the mum-of-five claimed she did not respond to a message from her agent Caroline Watt because she was watching Gemma's infamous faceplant on Dancing on Ice at the time in 2019, while bathing her children.

It came after Caroline appeared to admit leaking a story about Coleen's car crash, texting Rebekah: "It wasn't someone she trusted. It was me."

That scene from the trial was re-enacted in tonight's episode of Vardy V Rooney by Harry Potter star Natalia Tena, who plays Rebekah, and Michael Sheen who plays Coleen's barrister, David Sherborne.

Vardy said she was too distracted by Gemma Collins' face-plant on Dancing On Ice to respond to her agent (ITV)

The show has so far received mixed reviews from viewers, as some complained minutes in, while others hailed it the "best TV all year."

The drama, which uses real court transcripts, gives a climpse into what happened in the much anticipated trial.

Taking to Twitter, one unimpressed viewer said: "Lasted 14 mins. Absolutely s****e."

Another viewer said: "This is just awful," as a third fan complained: "They don't even look like Rebecca or Coleen."

Others disagreed with the comments, with many loving the dramatised version of the court case.

One viewer said: "Best TV all year," as a second wrote: "This is hilarious. Im dying."

A third fan wrote: "This is just so s**t it’s brilliant," as another tweeted: "Oh god, this is good tv."

The GC was not the only celeb unwillingly tangled up with the Wagatha drama – the most high profile perhaps being Peter Andre.

During the first day of the hearing, an interview Rebekah gave to News of the World in 2004 resurfaced, where she talked about having sex with Peter.

"This is something I deeply regret and something that is very much part of my past," Rebekah said while on the stand.

Chanel Cresswell plays Coleen in Vardy V Rooney (Getty, Channel 4)

Later on in the trial, Rebekah said: "There’s a lot of things in there that didn’t come out of my mouth and misrepresented and circumstances around that article I’m deeply sorry for."

Real Housewives of Cheshires star Dawn Ward and Leanne Brown were mentioned on the fourth day of the trial, when Coleen claimed she went though her list of Instagram followers to narrow down who could be responsible for the leaks, and ruled out the pair.

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