Coleen Rooney will be swapping her glamourous lifestyle for the Australian jungle
(Image: 2023 Dave Benett / Getty)

Rebekah Vardy's plan to confront WAG Coleen as I'm A Celebrity begins

by · Manchester Evening News

As the new series of I'm A Celebrity... Get Me Out of Here! prepares to get underway this weekend, a feud has been reignited with one of its main stars.

The news has now been confirmed that Coleen Rooney will be starring in the show and flew out to Australia earlier this week.

Rebekah Vardy has joined The Sun as a guest columnist ahead of the new season, and it's no surprise she's already proving controversial.

The pair's spat is a long-running one and culminated in a high-profile 'Wagatha Christie' libel battle when Rebekah sued Coleen who had accused her of leaking private information about her to the press in a tweet.

Read more: The one Christmas tradition Coleen Rooney did with her sons before flying to Australia for I'm A Celebrity

She called out Rebekah on Twitter, and the tweet went viral. In 2022, the court found against Rebekah, who was ordered to pay 90 per cent of Rooney's legal costs, which were over £1.8 million. The judge found that Rebekah was an 'untrustworthy witness' who intentionally deleted evidence, including WhatsApp messages.

Rebekah Vardy departs the Royal Courts of Justic during what became known as the 'Wagatha Christie' trial
(Image: Getty Images)

But it appears Rebekah isn't willing to let things lie. The Mirror reports that during an interview with The Sun, she said she will be watching the reality show closely - and has already thrown down the gauntlet to ITV - telling the broadcaster to get her on I'm a Celeb so she can confront Coleen.

The 42-year-old is set to be hatching a 'revenge plot' against her WAG rival, it is understood, and has expressed her desire to go on the show as a late entry.

Speaking ahead of the series, Rebekah, 42, said: "If people really want us to meet up before that, then ITV should get me in that jungle as a special guest. What are they scared of? Confrontation? But isn't that what the show's all about? It's about viewing figures."

She made a series of swipes at Coleen in the interview, accusing her rival of being 'calculated' and a hypocrite for appearing on the show.

"Coleen's legal team were very dismissive about my reality TV past. They mocked it," she said. "So for her to be doing the jungle now, it's hypocrisy at its finest, isn’t it? I think there was always a plan for reinvention. She stayed out of the public eye for so long."

She also made a dig at Coleen's football manager husband Wayne.

Discussing what Coleen could be eating on I'm A Celebrity - and asked if a camel testicle could be the worst thing Coleen has ever had in her mouth - she responded: "I don't know. You have to look at her husband for that one."

Coleen Rooney and Wayne Rooney depart the Royal Courts of Justice in 2022

She went on to say that Coleen has 'always wanted' her life and accused the 38-year-old mum-of-four of trying to copy her, saying: "I mean, we've done a book, we've done a documentary, we're going into the jungle. What's next - Dancing On Ice? She's following in my footsteps. I think she always wanted my life.

Talking to The Sun, Rebekah also claimed that 'everything Coleen does is quite calculated' as she said: "I don't say this to be nasty, I say this because it's an opinion of mine. She likes to be the victim.

"She's been in this industry for a long time, she knows what she's doing, she knows how to play the game. I think she'll go into the jungle with a game plan. She knows how the public will perceive her. I think the public see her as a victim - a hard-working woman that's endured a lot through a man’s infidelities and all of the stuff that he's put her through."

Rebekah, who shares five children with Leicester City forward Jamie, had reportedly offered Coleen a chance to clear the air in 2022, inviting Coleen for a coffee at a Caffè Nero.

She says the opportunity to talk remains open, adding: "Two years ago, I suggested we meet for a coffee at Caffè Nero - and that offer still stands. Perhaps now it might need to be over a lot of wine, though."