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Liverpool Echo
Liverpool Echo
Entertainment
Lottie Gibbons

Rebekah Vardy's message to Coleen Rooney as she discovers 'snitch follower'

Coleen Rooney repeatedly asked her private Instagram followers who was the "snitch" and "grass" leaking her posts to the press.

The private Instagram stories have been published as Rebekah Vardy lost the 'Wagatha Christie' High Court libel battle she brought against Mrs Rooney over a viral social media post.

In the October 2019 post, Mrs Rooney, 36, said she had carried out a months-long "sting operation" and accused Mrs Vardy, 40, of leaking "false stories" about her private life to the press.

READ MORE: Coleen Rooney issues lengthy statement as she wins court case against Rebekah Vardy

Mrs Vardy, who is married to Leicester striker Jamie Vardy, denied leaking stories to the media and sued her fellow footballer's wife for libel. In a ruling on Friday, Mrs Justice Steyn found in Mrs Rooney's favour and dismissed the claim against her.

While Mrs Rooney's sting operation began in 2019, court documents have now revealed how several private Instagram stories from Mrs Rooney's account were leaked to the press in 2017. It is unknown who disclosed the private posts to the media.

On October 24 2017, Ms Rooney uploaded the ‘Birthday Post’ to her private Instagram Account to celebrate Mr Rooney’s birthday.

The Birthday Post consisted of a collage of photographs of Mr Rooney and their children, with a message to him from his (then) three children: “We love you so much Dad!! Happy birthday … thank your for all you do for us!!! Lots of love Kai Klay and Kit xxxx”.

The same day, an article appeared in The S*n with the headline “MISS ROO Coleen Rooney posts loving message to husband Wayne from her Barbados sunbed as he spends his birthday alone”.

The article included the following words: "Coleen, 31, in Barbados with sons Kai, Klay and Kit, posted on Instagram: ‘We love you so much Dad! Thank you for all that you do for us.’ … A source told The S*n Coleen is still angry at her husband and said: ‘She doesn’t really want to leave Wayne at home as she feels like she can’t truth him. But she doesn’t really want to go on holiday with him either.’”

At 12.39am on October 25 2017, Mrs Rooney uploaded a post to her private Instagram account. The post showed a screenshot of the article. Mrs Rooney wrote: "“Who’s my snitch of a follower??? [grimacing and shocked face emojis]. Been a few posts that’s been fed back to the rag of a paper. This is a private account”.

Mrs Vardy responded to Mrs Rooney's post with: "Joke [angry face emoji]."

Several days later, Mrs Rooney posted a second warning post on her private Instagram. On October 31 2017, Mrs Rooney posted photographs showing her children carving pumpkins, apple bobbing and waiting for trick or treaters, and some of the Halloween decorations they had put up.

Mrs Rooney said on the post: "Getting desperate now [crying laughing and pumpkin emojis]….. watching the cameras!!! No trick or treaters about [spider emoji].

"Straight off the plane to pumpkin [pumpkin emoji] carving, duck apple and decorating!! Decided to have a Night in waiting for trick or treaters and we’ve had none …”

Mrs Vardy responded to Mrs Rooney's post: “Welcome home [two umbrella with raindrops emojis] xx”.

The same day, Mrs Rooney posted on her Private Instagram Account a photograph of Mr Rooney and their three sons sitting up in bed wearing matching spotted pyjamas, with the caption “The Boys in their Spots … #alderheychildrenshospital”.

On November 1 2017, an article was published with the headline: “Wayne Rooney is back at home – and in bed with Coleen as she shares snaps with pals celebrating Halloween together”.

The same day, November 1 2017, Mrs Rooney responded to the Pyjamas Article on her private Instagram account. She posted a screenshot of the pyjamas article, writing underneath: "The GRASS strikes again!!! ….. I put that picture on wondering if it would appear in that HORRIBLE newspaper …..

"Your accepted as one of my friends if you really needed the money that bad you could have always asked instead of being SLY!!!”

Mrs Rooney followed this up with several further messages on her private Instagram account, the first of which said: “Sorry me again [waving emoji] ….. it’s not that picture of me and the kids that’s been sold as that picture is on my twitter and public Instagram……it’s the comment that there was a picture of wayne and the kids ….

"They can’t print the picture as it’s on my private account but they have been told it’s on there (not that’s it’s a bad thing them knowing) it’s just the fact someone is telling them what I am putting up …. It’s the 4th thing in recent weeks that I’ve noticed!!”

Mrs Vardy then sent a direct Instagram message to Mrs Rooney. She said: "Omg wtf is wrong with people! Why have they taken that one of you and the kids and not of wayne in bed! That would have been an even better story in their eyes [two rolling eyes emojis] d***heads! Hope you are ok x"

Mrs Rooney responded two days later to Rebekah. She explained what had been shared was the photograph of Mr Rooney with the children. Mrs Vardy messaged Mrs Rooney: "That is so bad! And the s*n of all people as well! Have you been through all your followers? No one with any celeb mag links? What about being hacked? I would be chomping if that was me! Not on at all x"

Mrs Rooney said: "Yeh been through all but can't remember in point anyone. Got a few people onto it trying to source but if there getting the info there not going to tell. Had things like this in the past and never got to find out. Xx"

Mrs Vardy added: "Yeah that’s true ! You don’t think the paper has hacked your account do you? X"

Mrs Rooney responded: "No very much doubt it x”

The Birthday, Halloween and Pyjamas Posts were visible to all of Ms Rooney’s more than 300 followers and anyone who may have had access to a follower’s Instagram account. It is evident from the comments and ‘likes’ that many of Ms Rooney’s followers in fact viewed these messages.

There were 127, 146 and 168 ‘likes’ recorded on the Birthday, Halloween and Pyjamas Posts, respectively. There is no direct evidence that Mrs Vardy directly, or indirectly, leaked any of these three posts.

Nor is there any direct evidence that Mrs Vardy's agent Caroline Watt did so.

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