Wagatha Christie: Coleen and Wayne absent as closing speeches in Rooney vs Vardy libel trial begin
19.05.2022 - 14:47
/ manchestereveningnews.co.uk
Coleen and Wayne Rooney are absent from court today as the 'Wagatha Christie' libel trial enters its final day. The trial comes after Mrs Rooney accused fellow WAG Rebekah Vardy of allegedly leaking false stories about her to the tabloids back in 2019. Mrs Rooney said she used an Instagram 'sting' to discover Mrs Vardy had been sharing stories with the Sun newspaper - an accusation Mrs Vardy vehemently denies.
Mrs Vardy sued Mrs Rooney for defamation after she was publicly accused of leaking the stories. The libel trial - dubbed 'Wagatha Christie' as a portmanteau of "WAG" and "Agatha Christie" - started on May 10 at the High Court of Justice in London.
Today (Thursday, May 19) is expected to be the last day of the trial and while Mrs Vardy arrived at the court for proceedings this morning, Mr and Mrs Rooney will not be attending. The couple's absence is due to a "long-standing travel arrangement," their barrister told the High Court. David Sherborne said the couple had asked him to pass on "individual apologies" and to explain "they intend no disrespect to the court".
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The barrister emphasised that the couple had attended the trial throughout proceedings so far and added: "They had a long-standing travel agreement with their four children which was booked in advance by their lawyers." Mr Sherborne said the booking was made on the understanding that the court would not be sitting today. In response, the judge Mrs Justice Steyn said: "I don't take offence".
So far in today's proceedings, Mrs Rooney's barrister Mr Sherborne has summarised that his client was taken to court because of a "reveal post" on social media. "She [Mrs Rooney] herself
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