Channel 4 has announced the Wagatha Christie trial will be immortalised in a new docudrama for television screens, as the verdict still looms.
For nearly two weeks in May, Coleen Rooney ’s libel trial with Rebekah Vardy captivated the nation, with its explosive conclusion still on the horizon.
Grenade after grenade was thrown by the WAGs' respective teams, as Coleen and Rebekah's legal battle played out at the Royal Courts of Justice.
The saga started in October 2019 when Coleen accused Jamie Vardy's wife of leaking 'false stories' about her private life, from her personal Instagram account.
Rebekah denies the allegation and has taken Coleen to court for libel, with the trial starting on May 10 this year and ending on May 19.
Nearly two months later and both women, who each took the stand during the trial, have yet to see a resolution to the saga, with no date set for Mrs Justice Steyn to hand down her judgement.
Following the significant media attention the legal battle generated, Channel 4 has now confirmed the libel trial will be dramatised.
Channel 4 confirmed the news of the series on Twitter, calling it the case that “put social media under the legal spotlight”.
The two-part docudrama will be titled Vardy v Rooney: A Courtroom Drama and will be written by journalist and documentary maker Chris Atkins.
The drama will enlist actors to play the parts of Rebekah Vardy, Coleen Rooney, Wayne Rooney, and Jamie Vardy, while the plot of the series will revolve around genuine courtroom transcripts, bringing viewers previously un-televised moments from the case.
Director Oonagh Kearney said: “This trial utterly captivated the public with its daily feed of entertaining exchanges and jaw-dropping reveals.
“But behind this, is a story of two women under constant public scrutiny, fighting for their reputations,” she said.
Tim Hancock, commissioning editor at Channel 4 said that the court transcripts used in the show “give a deep insight into the relationship between celebrities and the media, as well as showing how far some people will go to protect their reputation”.
The Wagatha Christie saga kicked off on October 9 2019, when Coleen shared a now infamous Instagram post.
The post began: "For a few years now someone who I trusted to follow me on my personal Instagram account has been consistently informing The SUN newspaper of my private posts and stories.
"There has been so much information given to them about me, my friends and my family- all without my permission or knowledge."
She said that after a long time trying to figure out who it could be, she had a suspicion.
To try and prove her suspicion, she blocked everyone from viewing her Instagram except one account.
Over five months, she said she posted a series of false stories on that account to see if they were published by The Sun.
The fake stories, about her travelling to Mexico for gender selection treatment in a bid to have a baby girl, returning to her television career and the basement flooding in her new home, were all published by The Sun, she said.
She went on: "It's been tough keeping it to myself and not making any comment at all, especially when the stories have been leaked, however I had to. Now I know for certain which account/ individual it's come from.
"I have saved and screenshot all the original stories which clearly show just one person has viewed them.
Then, in a line which will go down in celebrity history, she said: "It's.......... Rebekah Vardy's account."
The release date for Vardy v Rooney: A Courtroom Drama has not yet been confirmed.
