Rooney speaks of relief at end of Wagatha legal saga

Coleen Rooney has spoken of her "relief" after the latest part of her legal battle with Rebekah Vardy came to an end, saying she looks forward "to moving on" with her life.

On Tuesday, a judge said Mrs Vardy must pay more than £1.4m of Mrs Rooney's legal costs after the pair's "Wagatha Christie" libel trial.

Mrs Rooney, who won that High Court battle in 2022, posted on social media that the new ruling "finally brings closure for my family and I".

But she added: "This claim did not need to be made or run for as long as it did. The time and money should have been put to better use".

This week's ruling means a payment of £1.19m must be made to Mrs Rooney, plus an additional £212,266 in "assessment costs".

The judge noted there had been "extraordinary expenditure of costs" by the parties, and told them: "I do mean it when I say that I hope that this is the end of a long and unhappy road."

On Wednesday, Mrs Rooney wrote: "The ruling yesterday in my favour finally brings this claim to an end, it's a relief and brings closure for my family and I.

"Throughout this long process, I am grateful that the judgements have consistently gone my way. However, as I have always maintained, this claim did not need to be made or run for as long as it did. The time and money should have been put to better use."

She thanked her legal team, friends and family for their "guidance and support", along with the public and "many well-wishers".

"This episode is not something that I ever wanted in my life. However, I am thankful for the way my family and team have dealt with it. We look forward to moving on with our lives."

Mrs Vardy, the wife of Leicester City striker Jamie Vardy, mounted the original legal action after Mrs Rooney, the wife of ex-Manchester United striker Wayne Rooney, publicly accused someone using Mrs Vardy's Instagram account of leaking private information about her to the press.

Mrs Vardy sued her for libel, but a High Court judge found in July 2022 that Mrs Rooney's allegation was "substantially true".