Coleen Rooney and Rebekah Vardy's libel trial kicked off on Tuesday and it promises to be explosive. HELLO! have rounded up the key moments from the first day of the trial.
MORE: Coleen Rooney and husband Wayne put on united display amid ongoing 'Wagatha Christie' case
But first, a little background about the case. In 2019, Coleen accused former I'm A Celebrity star Rebekah of leaking stories from her private Instagram account to The Sun after a months-long sting operation. Rebekah, who is married to professional footballer Jamie Vardy, denied the accusation and is suing Coleen for libel.
WATCH: Everything about Coleen Rooney in 60 seconds
Rebekah Vardy gives evidence
After opening remarks from both sides in the case, Rebekah took to the stand in a bid to clear her name. Under questioning from Coleen's lawyer, David Sherborne, Rebekah was shown an exchange between her and her agent discussing the "photoshop girl" with Rebekah asking whether they would be able to "leak" a story. In the final questions, David accuses Rebekah of not understanding the meaning of the word "leak", something which she denied.
Loss of documentation labelled "flagrant and beyond belief"
There have been many twists and turns in preliminary hearings for the case, in which evidence for Rebekah's side has appeared to have been lost or potentially destroyed. One such example came at a previous hearing in which it was claimed Rebekah's agent, Caroline Watt, had dropped her phone - which carried key pieces of evidence - into the North Sea.
© Photo: Getty ImagesRebekah took to the stand on the first day of the trial
READ: Rebekah Vardy breaks silence amid Coleen Rooney court drama
SEE: Rebekah Vardy wears sleek dress at Wagatha Christie trial day one
Coleen's lawyers had intended to search the phone for evidence to help their case, but Caroline said that during a trip in the North Sea last summer, her boat was hit by a large wave, resulting in her losing her grip and dropping the device in the sea.
David said of the loss of documentation that: "The loss and destruction of evidence by the Claimant and Ms Watt – which, alarmingly, continues to evolve even in recent days – has been flagrant and beyond belief."
Wayne Rooney to give evidence
© Photo: Getty ImagesWayne will be one of those giving evidence
Coleen's husband Wayne Rooney, alongside his cousin, Clare Rooney, will be among the witnesses to give evidence during the trial, according to the skeleton case set out. They are due to give evidence on the sixth day of the seven-day trial.
It is not yet certain whether Rebekah's husband, Jamie Vardy, will be giving evidence. Another witness for the case will be Andrew Halls, a journalist at The Sun who wrote one of the leaked stories.
Wayne didn't know about the fake posts
Coleen's lawyer described the lengths that she went to in order to unmask who she believed was leaking stories about her, and revealed that even her own husband, Wayne, wasn't aware of what she was doing. "She didn't tell anyone [about the fake posts], even her husband here sitting next to her," he explained.
The trial will last for seven days
Rebekah's lawyers say "no direct evidence" of story leaks
Rebekah's lawyer, Hugh Tomlinson, told the court that there was "no direct evidence" that his client had leaked the stories, highlighting how it's well-known that many celebrities have their accounts managed by others alongside themselves.
INSIDE: Rebekah Vardy's lavish Lincolnshire home revealed amid Coleen Rooney legal battle
WOW: Coleen Rooney surprises on day one of Wagatha Christie trial in Gucci and Chanel
Pointing to one of the stories that had supposedly been leaked, that of Coleen's return to TV, he said that stories about his had been around since February 2019, and said that in Coleen's written evidence she had admitted that the dates for this story and her attempts to figure out who was leaking the stories don't match up.
He also claimed that Coleen had enjoyed her new moniker of 'Wagatha Christie' and had liked posts online describing herself as such.
Like this story? Sign up to our HELLO! Mail newsletter to get other stories like this delivered straight to your inbox.
