EXCLUSIVE: It’s Wagatha Christie 2.0! Now Coleen hits back at Rebekah Vardy’s claims that she inflated £1.8million legal bill and insists she actually gave her extra time to ‘raise the cash’
- Lawyers acting for Coleen Rooney said costs were not inflated in strong denial
- They said bailiffs or bankruptcy proceedings had been possibility against Becky
Coleen Rooney today reignited the Wagatha Christie case to deny criticism aired by Rebekah Vardy over court costs – revealing calling in bailiffs had been one option.
Rebekah, 41, last night blasted an ‘inflated’ £1.8million legal bill from Coleen’s side that was alleged to include expenses for luxury hotel stays and pricey meals.
With her own court costs fees adding up to around £4 million, Ms Vardy is now facing up to £6 million in legal fees.
This afternoon lawyers acting for Coleen, 37, said an original – much lower – sum mooted at the start of proceedings was always going to be higher.
They also disclosed an interim payment of £800,000 ordered to be paid by November 15 last year by Becky did not arrive on time. Because she lost the case, she was ordered to pay legal costs accrued.
And in a direct contradiction to claims made she was ‘forced’ to pay up last year, they said she had actually asked for more time, which Coleen agreed to allow.
In fact the mother-of-four – married to England legend Wayne – could have chosen to instruct bailiffs or even pursued bankruptcy proceedings against her.
Lawyers acting for Coleen, 37, pictured last year, said an original – much lower – sum mooted at the start of proceedings was always going to be higher
Rebekah, 41, also pictured last year, last night blasted an ‘inflated’ £1.8million legal tally from Coleen’s side of the case
Paul Lunt, the solicitor who acted for Coleen, said ‘Costs budgets are produced at the very start of cases, almost two years before the final hearing in this case. They are merely “best guesses” of the costs that are likely to be incurred if the case proceeds as expected.
‘Where a case develops in an extraordinary or unexpected manner, the costs will often increase substantially from what was originally envisaged.
‘That goes for both parties and it would not surprise me if Mrs Vardy’s own costs ended up approaching something in the order of £4m.’
It had appeared that the ongoing war between the two WAGs could be headed back to court as sources close to Rebekah said she had not heard from Coleen about the legal costs.
Rebekah Vardy, 41, was ordered to pay 90 per cent of Coleen’s legal bills after losing their libel trial at the High Court last year
The £1.8million legal bill was understood to include £2,000 for a lawyer’s five-star hotel stay. Coleen Rooney is pictured
Sources had told The Sun she was left ‘furious after seeing Coleen’s bill’ and has launched a ‘war’ over the costs. The insiders say she will pay what she ‘rightfully owes’ but thinks she is ‘pushing her luck by asking for almost £2million’.
The insider claims Rebekah’s lawyers have asked Coleen’s camp for a ‘detailed breakdown’ of some of the items included in the bill.
‘Becky has been given paperwork as part of the bill which shows how much Coleen’s team budgeted – and how much they are charging,’ the source said.
‘Her legal team has said that some of the costs appear to have been inflated.’
The source pointed to a series of figures concerning allegations about the footballer’s wife, including a £6,000 fee for briefing the Press.
The insider also claimed that Coleen’s team had budgeted just over £32,000 for an expert to speak at the trial but the final bill amounted to over £148,000.
Rebekah leaves the High Court with her husband, Jamie Vardy, in May 2022 last year in London
Another alleged inflated cost was the amount spent on David Sherborne, which was reportedly billed for £524,000 despite being budgeted at £299,000.
The cost of pre-trial research was said to be budgeted at £12,000 but a charge of £45,000 has come through.
The war of the WAGs was started when Coleen sensationally turned detective to uncover a friend who was telling tales to the media.
She spoke out about her experiences of having her personal life leaked to the Press in October 2019, ending the tweet with the jaw-dropping line: ‘It’s… Rebekah Vardy’s account’.
The bombshell revelation triggered Rebekah, then heavily pregnant with her fifth child, to come home from a holiday in Dubai.
The insider claims Rebekah’s lawyers have asked Coleen’s camp for a ‘detailed breakdown’ of some of the items included in the bill (Coleen leaves the High Court last year)
The insider also claimed that Coleen’s team had budgeted just over £32,000 for an expert to speak at the trial but the final bill amounted to over £148,000 (with husband Wayne Rooney, May 17, 2022)
Rebekah sued the newly dubbed ‘Wagatha Christie’ for libel, denying she was the media source.
But in July last year she lost the case when Coleen’s post was found to be ‘substantially true’ by a judge.
Rebekah had claimed the Instagram post had cost her a book deal and an endorsement for placenta capsules, while also acting as a lightning rod for people to abuse her on social media.
Coleen’s barrister questioned her integrity as a witness, bringing up a News Of The World story in which she said singer Peter Andre had the ‘smallest trouser equipment I’ve ever seen’.
Rebekah sued the newly dubbed ‘Wagatha Christie’ for libel, denying she was the media source, but lost the case in July last year (Outside court, May 19, 2022)
The mother-of-five (pictured with her husband) spent two days on the witness stand being grilled by Coleen’s legal team, breaking down in tears on several occasions
The mother-of-five spent two days on the witness stand being grilled by Coleen’s legal team, breaking down in tears on several occasions.
The legal fight is already the subject of a stage show and a Channel 4 drama and the Rooneys are filming a documentary with Disney about the case.
Rebekah previously told The Sun that the case left her with nightmares and symptoms of PTSD and that she ‘felt physically sick’ when she spoke about the trial.
MailOnline approached Rebekah and Coleen for comment.
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