Rebekah Vardy felt 'suicidal' over Coleen Rooney claims
- Published
Rebekah Vardy says the row with Coleen Rooney made her a "scapegoat"
Rebekah Vardy felt "suicidal" following her row with Coleen Rooney last year, new court documents reveal.
Coleen Rooney, 34, claimed on social media that fake stories she posted on her private Instagram account were then published in the tabloids.
She said she deliberately made stories only viewable to Vardy - which then made it into The Sun.
Rebekah Vardy, 38, denies all allegations against her and is currently suing Rooney for defamation.
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The documents, written by Rebekah Vardy's lawyers, say the fallout from the claim affected her mental and physical health - and the health of her family too.
They say "she suffered from severe panic attacks and anxiety which manifested in being scared to leave the house".
Vardy, who was seven months pregnant at the time of Rooney's post, "was taken to hospital three times while pregnant as she suffered anxiety attacks as a result of the post and the repercussions of it".
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Other details included say her husband, Leicester striker Jamie Vardy, was targeted with verbal abuse at games that took place after the post with chants like "Becky Vardy's a grass".
Rebekah Vardy says she was at some of the games where the chants could be heard and found the situation "horrific and extremely distressing" because she was there with her children.
Coleen Rooney and Rebekah Vardy were pictured together at Euro 2016
Rebekah Vardy's lawyers say she was made to feel like a "scapegoat" and they also claim Rooney posted "in a calculated and deliberate manner that was designed to cause very serious harm and enormous distress."
The original post by Rooney, who is married to former England International Wayne, has nearly 300,000 likes on Twitter and 200,000 on Instagram.
Evidence presented also includes screenshots of some of the comments Rebekah Vardy has received on social media after Coleen Rooney's post and states she "suffered and continues to suffer severe and extreme hostility and abuse as a result of the post".
Vardy's lawyers say the accusations made against her have caused "serious harm" to her reputation, "personality, integrity and honesty".
"She has been targeted by online trolls and attacked on social media platforms including but not limited to Twitter and Instagram; as well as via readers' comments on articles relating to the post," they say.
"The abuse was so extreme that the claimant was forced to use filters on her Instagram account to prevent certain words from being published under her posts."
"Disappointing"
Newsbeat has approached Coleen Rooney's lawyers for comment on Rebekah Vardy's new claims.
"It is disappointing that Mrs Vardy has chosen to issue court proceedings," Coleen's lawyer, Paul Lunt of Brabners, said in June, before the case began.
"Coleen feels that the time and money involved could be put to better use; her offer to meet face to face still stands.
"Mrs Vardy's decision to issue court proceedings does at least mean that Coleen's evidence can be made public when the time is right."
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- Published24 June 2020
- Published9 October 2019
