Rebekah Vardy claims that Coleen Rooney’s 2019 social media post saying that she had revealed confidential secrets about her to The Sun had caused her “very severe damage to her reputation.” Today, the court will decide whether or not they concur.
This summer’s social media murder mystery captivated the nation and prompted a nine-day trial at the High Court.
Now, the Vardy v. Rooney libel case will reach its conclusion when Mrs. Justice Steyn delivers her verdict around noon.
Due to the imminence of the verdict, it is unlikely that Rebekah Vardy or Coleen Rooney would appear in court.
The case centers on an October 2019 social media post published by Rooney that immediately went viral.
Coleen Rooney disclosed her “sting operation” to identify the source of allegedly “false articles” about her private life in the media.
She said that she put these bogus stories on her own Instagram account and tweaked the privacy settings to make them visible to only her one suspect, Rebekah Vardy so that she could identify the leak when they appeared in The Sun.
In homage to the renowned British crime writer Agatha Christie, the internet promptly dubbed Rooney Wagatha Christie Agatha Christie.
Vardy has always vehemently disputed the allegations, and in June 2020 she applied to sue Rooney for libel, alleging that the article caused “very severe damage” to her reputation.
Rooney has supported the claim on the grounds of veracity and public interest.
After more than two years of legal wrangling and several failed attempts at mediation, the case is nearing its conclusion.
Numerous celebrities, including Danielle Lloyd and the father of Boris Johnson, have taken sides in the highly publicized dispute.
And it was announced earlier this month that Channel 4 will produce a drama based on the trial.
During the trial, Vardy was questioned about her previous relationship with pop star Peter Andre, Rooney spoke about past rough patches in her marriage, and Rooney’s husband Wayne testified that he was unaware of the “sting” operation until he saw his wife’s Instagram post – just like the rest of us.
Regardless of the verdict, the spotlight on celebrities selling stories to newspapers is likely to affect celebrity journalism in the future.
And questions around internet privacy rights when it comes to revealing your personal life on social media will have ramifications for everyone, not just the rich and famous with their enviable Instagram lives.
