Latest court hearing due in Rebekah Vardy and Coleen Rooney’s libel battle

The latest hearing in the libel dispute between Rebekah Vardy and Coleen Rooney is due to be held at the High Court in London.

Mrs Rooney, 36, accused Mrs Vardy, 40, of leaking “false stories” about her private life to the media in October 2019 after carrying out a months-long “sting operation”.

The wife of former England star Wayne Rooney was dubbed “Wagatha Christie” when she publicly claimed her fellow footballer’s wife shared fake stories she had posted on her personal Instagram account with The Sun newspaper.

A preliminary hearing in the court battle between the two women is due to take place at the Royal Courts of Justice on Wednesday, ahead of a trial next month.

It comes after Mrs Rooney lost a bid to add a claim against Mrs Vardy’s agent Caroline Watt to the libel case.

Mrs Rooney’s lawyers previously claimed that Mrs Vardy had leaked information to The Sun either directly or through Ms Watt “acting on her instruction or with her knowing approval”.

At a hearing in February, Mrs Rooney asked for permission to bring an “additional claim” against Ms Watt for misuse of private information and wanted it to be heard alongside the libel case.

Her barrister David Sherborne argued that if Mrs Vardy wins her claim on the basis that she was not the person who leaked the information, then Mrs Rooney would be left without “vindication” unless she is able to bring the claim against Ms Watt as part of the same case.

The application to add the claim, which was opposed by Mrs Vardy’s lawyers, was refused by Mrs Justice Steyn who ruled it was brought too late and could delay the trial.

The High Court judge’s ruling did not prevent Mrs Rooney from pursuing a separate claim against Ms Watt for alleged misuse of private information if she wished to.

The trial of Mrs Vardy’s libel claim is due to take place in May.

The hearing on Wednesday before Mrs Justice Steyn is due to begin at 10.30am.