When Rebekah Vardy sued Coleen Rooney for libel, few expected the case to become one of the most extraordinary celebrity court battles Britain had ever seen. The High Court trial in 2022 produced headline after headline, with missing WhatsApp messages, a phone ending up at the bottom of the North Sea and even Peter Andre unexpectedly dragged into proceedings.
Four years after Mrs Justice Steyn ruled in Coleen Rooney's favour, we're looking back at the moments that made the so-called Wagatha Christie saga impossible to forget.
Coleen's detective sting fooled almost everyone
Long before the courtroom drama, Coleen, 40, quietly carried out one of the most famous social media investigations in celebrity history. She gradually restricted access to her private Instagram Stories until just one account could view a series of fake posts she'd invented. When details appeared in The Sun, she delivered the internet-breaking verdict: "It's......... Rebekah Vardy's account."
The painstaking sting operation became the foundation of the entire libel case.
The phone that ended up in the North Sea
Perhaps no moment generated more headlines than the disappearance of Caroline Watt's phone. Watt, Rebekah Vardy's agent, said the device had accidentally fallen into the North Sea after a boat hit a wave, shortly after it had been requested for inspection as part of the legal proceedings. Rooney's legal team questioned the circumstances, while Vardy's side maintained it was simply an accident.
The missing WhatsApp messages
The court also heard extensive evidence about missing WhatsApp communications between Rebekah Vardy and Caroline Watt. Rooney's legal team argued relevant messages had been deleted, while Vardy disputed any suggestion of wrongdoing and said issues arose during attempts to export the chats. The missing messages became a major focus throughout the trial.
Peter Andre was unexpectedly dragged into it
One of the trial's most awkward moments came when Rooney's barrister read out extracts from a years-old newspaper interview in which Rebekah had made derogatory personal remarks about Peter Andre. Vardy later described giving the interview as one of her biggest regrets, while Andre publicly said he had spent years trying to move on from the comments. It was one of the most surreal exchanges heard in court.
Wayne Rooney took the witness stand
England legend Wayne Rooney, 40, also found himself giving evidence. He backed his wife's account of events and answered questions about conversations he'd had regarding leaked stories. His appearance added even more star power to an already extraordinary celebrity trial.
It wasn't a criminal trial
Despite the worldwide attention, this wasn't a criminal case. Rebekah, 44, had sued Coleen Rooney for libel after Coleen's Instagram post accused "Rebekah Vardy's account" of leaking private information. The judge ultimately found that the allegation was substantially true, dismissing Vardy's claim.
The legal bill became eye-watering
The courtroom battle proved spectacularly expensive. Following the judgment, Rebekah Vardy was ordered to pay 90% of Coleen Rooney's legal costs, on top of her own substantial legal fees, meaning the overall cost of the saga was over £1.4 million. The costs dispute itself continued long after the judgment was handed down.
The memes took over the internet
Very few court cases have generated quite so many memes. Every twist - from the famous Instagram reveal to courtroom sketches and the "phone in the sea" saga - became instant viral material, cementing "Wagatha Christie" as one of Britain's most memorable celebrity feuds.
The judge didn't believe key parts of Vardy's evidence
In her written judgment, Mrs Justice Steyn said she found that significant parts of Rebekah Vardy's evidence were not credible. The judge concluded that Caroline Watt had leaked information from Rooney's private Instagram account to The Sun, and found that Vardy knew of, condoned and was actively engaged in that process. Those findings proved decisive in the outcome of the libel case.
It became far bigger than a footballers' wives feud
What began as a row over private Instagram posts evolved into documentaries, books, stage productions and endless television discussions. Four years after the judgment, "Wagatha Christie" remains one of the most recognisable celebrity legal battles in British pop culture.
