Rebekah Vardy, the wife of Leicester City striker, Jamie Vardy has insisted that she did not arrange for a photographer to take pictures of footballers’ wives during the 2018 FIFA World Cup.
Recall that Rebekah Vardy had to drag Coleen Rooney, the wife of Wayne Rooney to court for accusing her of leaking pictures of footballers’ wives and girlfriends to the press in 2019.
However, Coleen Rooney who is currently 36-year-old is trying to prove through her lawyer, David Sherborne, that it was not a false accusation. During the third day of hearing on Thursday, May 12, 2022, Coleen’s lawyer showed the court a chat Rebekah Vardy had with her agent about organizing a photographer.
In the chat, Rebekah, a 40-year-old TV personality replied “Ok” to a message from her agent, Caroline Watt, which read: “got a photographer sorted for tomorrow”.
While trying to defend the chat, Rebekah Vardy told the high court that she and her agent arranged the photographer for herself ahead of the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia. Despite admitting that, the TV personality stressed that she did not tell the photographer about the hotel and restaurant she and other English footballers’ wives and girlfriends were at.
Rebekah admitted that she was happy to be photographed while leaving the hotel but insisted that she did not arrange the photographer for other women. She also admitted that she updated her agent about every change of plans during her stay in Russia but was not doing that to give the photographer hints about other women’s next moves.
While trying to counter Rebekah Vardy’s defense, barrister Sherborne stressed that the photographer would not have known how the footballers’ lovers were getting to the restaurant.
The barrister went further to reveal a message Rebekah sent to her agent then which read: “I have bought about 10 minutes”. According to the interpretation of the lawyer, Rebekah delayed the posting of the women’s group picture on social media so that the photographer who had taken a picture of the women from hiding would not lose his exclusive.
In her defense, Jamie Vardy’s wife said: “well, it reads like that, I don’t recall it like that, and if I’m being honest… I had been drinking.”
“If I had intentionally arranged the picture… I would quite happily admit that I had”, she added.
The purported pictures which resulted in the libel case between Rebekah Vardy and Coleen Rooney were published in the British publication, The Sun, on June 26, 2018.
A statement from a witness read to the court by Mr. Sherborne claimed that Rebekah did not play any part in the pictures that were published in The Sun media outlet.
“The claimant had nothing to do with the photograph which was published in The Sun on June 26, 2018. She did not arrange a photographer to be present and received no payment”, the statement read.
Despite Rebekah’s witnesses speaking in her favor, Mr. Sherborne stressed that there were a couple of contradictions in Rebekah’s claims. The TV personality admitted that “Sometimes you make mistakes.”
Wayne Rooney’s wife Coleen Rooney who is defending the libel claim brought to the court by Rebekah Vardy is expected to present her evidence to the court today, May 13, 2022.
The ongoing trial is expected to last for a week a judgment will be given at a later date. Reports claimed that the claimant (Rebekah) and the defendant (Coleen) could spend a total amount of £2 million before the end of the case.
