Coleen Rooney has broken her silence following Rebekah Vardy's emotional appearance on Loose Women. The wife of football star Wayne Rooney shocked fans in October after she released a statement accusing Rebekah of selling private stories about her to the press. And on Thursday, Rebekah – who is married to Jamie Vardy - broke down in tears on Loose Women as she spoke about the stress she experienced and the horrific online abuse she was subjected to in the aftermath of the spat.
WATCH: The moment Rebekah Vardy breaks down over Coleen Rooney row
Unimpressed with the TV appearance, Coleen issued a statement via her rep to announce she would not be taking part in any interviews such as this. "Coleen remains confident in the legal process and sees no reason to take the numerous opportunities that have been offered to engage in further public debate in this matter," the statement, which was released on Twitter, read. "She has nothing to add to what she has already said."
GALLERY: Inside Coleen and Wayne Rooney's luxury Dubai hotel
During the interview, Rebekah explained how the online row resulted in her being hospitalised in the late stages of her pregnancy. "It's really hard because we are in the middle of a legal battle and I can’t really say too much at the minute," she said. On being seven months pregnant when it all happened, the I'm A Celebrity star explained: "It was really really hard. It is probably up there with one of the worst things that I have had to deal with apart from being abused when I was younger."
© Photo: Getty ImagesColeen accused Rebekah of selling stories on her to the press
"We were just about to meet to go for dinner with some friends and we were just in a taxi, my manager messaged me and said you need to see this," she added. "I looked at my phone and there it was in all its glory. It was hideous and it was horrible and I don’t think I was prepared for what was to come. The trolling was the worst part for me. I have been trolled before and I do get it all the time, but it escalated off the back of this. I think people don't realise when they are saying stuff like that."
Rebekah then detailed the severity of her anxiety attacks, saying: "I ended up with severe anxiety attacks. I ended up in hospital three times. I ended up with kidney stones. I felt like I couldn’t go out with people just looking at me just questioning.. whether.. did she do it? Did she not do it? No one would ever say anything to your face they never do, do they. They aren’t brave enough to say things to your face."
© Photo: ITVRebekah Vardy was joined by her baby daughter Olivia
Despite the backlash, Rebekah is determined to highlight the seriousness of trolling and the damage it can do. "If you don't try and highlight it, which I did," she confessed. "I went to the police and several arrests were made, you let them win and you can't let them win. I think the more we highlight the fact that this is happening and this is really serious the more the chances are of doing something good about it."
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