Rebekah Vardy has been dealt a fresh blow in her 'Wagatha Christie' legal battle, with a High Court judge dismissing her appeal against a costs ruling. The decision means she now faces paying 90 per cent of Coleen Rooney's legal costs, which total around £1.85 million, leaving Vardy with a bill of approximately £1.6 million.
Mr Justice Cavanagh rejected Vardy's appeal that Rooney's lawyers had committed misconduct by deliberately understating costs. In a 38-page ruling, he said there was 'no valid basis for challenging on appeal the judge's conclusion' and that the court was 'not persuaded' that Rooney's legal advisers had deliberately misled anyone.
The judge acknowledged a 'misjudgment' in the lack of transparency over costs figures, but found this did not amount to unreasonable or improper behaviour. Vardy had sought a 50 per cent reduction in the settlement, alleging Rooney's lawyers overcharged, including for a stay at a five-star hotel.
Vardy lost the original libel case in 2022 after a judge ruled it was 'substantially true' that she had leaked Rooney's private information to the press. The case stemmed from Rooney's social media post accusing Vardy's account of leaking stories, which went viral and sparked the 'Wagatha Christie' moniker.
It is not yet known whether Vardy will face further costs from this latest appeal. The ruling is likely to mark the final chapter in the long-running legal dispute between the two footballers' wives.
