First look at pictures from Disney’s Coleen Rooney: The Real Wagatha Story
It was the social media whodunnit that captivated the nation and spawned a nine-day trial at the High Court – now the first images of Coleen Rooney: The Real Wagatha Story have been revealed.
The Disney+ documentary will be told by Coleen Rooney – who was dubbed Wagatha Christie on social media during the case – in a nod to the world-famous British crime novelist Agatha Christie.
Rebekah Vardy at the Royal Courts of Justice during the trial
Images show Rooney, 37, revisiting the High Court, dressed in a black trouser suit.
In one shot she is shown sitting at a bench in the courtroom, ready to make notes, and in another she is holding a bag and tote, ready to head back into court.
While focusing on Rooney as the star player, the documentary will also feature interviews with family, friends and key people involved in the trial.
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It all started with a social media post back in October 2019
The real-life drama first came to public attention in 2019, when Rooney said in a social media post that she had carried out a months-long “sting operation” – and accused Rebekah Vardy of leaking “false stories” about her private life to the tabloids.
Rooney’s amateur sleuthing prompted Vardy to sue her for libel, with the case coming to a head in 2022 as the claim was heard at the High Court.
Covered by news outlets around the world, it became one of the most talked about libel trials of the decade.
Vardy, 40, lost the case against Rooney, with the judge finding Rooney’s post “substantially true”.
Read more: Are high-profile lawsuits really worth it for celebs?
Pic: Ben Blackall/Disney+ 2023
Pic: Ben Blackall/Disney+ 2023
Now, this three-part series looks at the circumstances that led to Rooney’s infamous “It’s ……………. Rebekah Vardy’s account” Instagram post and leads viewers through the ins and outs of the two-week trial.
It will also explore how Coleen’s life has played out in public for the last 20 years, as the childhood sweetheart and then wife of former England footballer Wayne Rooney.
Vardy is the partner of another footballer – Leicester striker Jamie.
The Rooneys have four children together – sons Kai, Klay, Kit and Cass – and live in a £20m mansion in Cheshire.
The documentary, which is directed by Lucy Bowden, will be released later this year.
Sir Rod Stewart appeared to be booed as photos of Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy were shown at a concert in Germany.
The 79-year-old singer, who has spoken out against Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, was playing at Leipzig’s Quarterback Immobilien Arena on Friday.
Before performing his 1991 hit Rhythm Of My Heart – which he calls a war song and has dedicated to Kyiv in recent shows – the Ukrainian flag was projected on screen behind Sir Rod.
Images of Mr Zelenskyy were then shown, prompting loud boos, shouts, and whistles from the crowd.
Videos from social media show the crowd appearing to jeer as Sir Rod salutes the Ukrainian president.
The singer has regularly condemned Russia since 2022, and recently called Vladimir Putin an “arsehole” during an interview with Sky News.
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From February: ‘Music brought us together’
He told Sky News’s Friday Night With Niall Patterson in February: “We have to support Ukraine right to the end.”
In October 2022, Sir Rod also revealed had rented and furnished a home for a family of seven Ukrainian refugees.
“Words couldn’t describe what we were watching,” he told the Daily Mirror at the time. “The bombing of innocent children, the bombing of hospitals and playgrounds.
“Like everyone else, we were completely beside ourselves. I don’t wish that on anyone. This is evil, pure evil.”
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Keep up with all the latest news from the UK and around the world by following Sky News
Sir Rod will return to Germany for a show at Hamburg’s Barclays Arena later this week, before performing in Cologne on 25 June and Munich on 28 June.
A representative for Sir Rod has been asked for comment.
Entertainment
House Of The Dragon is back – here’s everything you need to know ahead of the new series
It doesn’t get much more hotly anticipated than the first Game Of Thrones spin-off, but House Of The Dragon gave us a brand new story in a familiar world and was largely seen to have lived up to expectations.
The first series, which launched in 2022, was critically acclaimed and won awards – and also gave HBO its largest single-day viewership for a series debut in the service’s history.
But if there was criticism, it was that it was a little slow, too much set-up and not enough action, with decades being covered throughout the season as characters grew up and sides were taken.
Has the pace ramped up for series two?
The second season kicks off where the first left off, with battle lines drawn, blood spilt and two former best friends fighting for the crown – and Sky News has spoken to the cast about what to expect.
Be warned – spoilers for series one ahead.
Team Green v Team Black
“I feel like I was like trying to throw my body over the crack between the Targaryen family,” says Olivia Cooke, who plays Alicent Hightower – a powerful member of the Greens and whose son Aegon was hastily crowned after she claims his father named him as his heir while on his deathbed.
This effectively usurped Rhaenyra (played by Emma D’Arcy) from the Blacks, who claimed she was the rightful Queen as the King’s first-born – and if that wasn’t enough to put them at odds, the series ended with Alicent’s other son killing Rhaenyra’s.
Cooke says ‘the chasm is well and truly opened’ this series
“The chasm is well and truly opened,” says Cooke. “And it’s about management of that and trying to make sure that we don’t descend into bloody, horrible, civil war.
“And the men around us are just so hellbent on having their names in the annals of history, and trying to mitigate that is a nightmare.”
Returning to and expanding Westeros
With the second series commissioned after the first proved to be a hit, D’Arcy says there was a different feel on set when they returned.
Keep up with all the latest news from the UK and around the world by following Sky News
“The first time around, we were trepidatious for so many reasons, not least because Westeros is a much beloved site and you need a very good reason to return there. We thought we had one, but even so, a prequel is a big ask of a fandom – you’re asking those people to sort of take a bit of a gamble with you and we knew that there was different ways that that might go.
“I think what was lovely, certainly I felt, it’s very helpful to watch the show and to have a much clearer sense of the job description, the job at hand, the context, the sorts of identity, the aesthetic of the show. But also, I felt certainly that I sort of finally got my Westerosi passport, that I was, you know, no longer a foreigner.”
Emma D’Arcy stars as Rhaenyra Targaryen
Fans of the world of Westeros will see more of it this season, says Matt Smith who plays Rhaenyra’s husband – and uncle – Daemon Targaryen.
“The show is evolving and getting bigger and exploring different parts of Westeros, which I think is quite exciting as well. “Hopefully it ticks the boxes it’s meant to.”
Dragon-riding
Mitchell: ‘It’s probably the closest we’ll ever get to dragon riding in real life’
While both sides of the Targaryen family have access to the ultimate weapon – dragons – wiser members are not in a hurry to use them, knowing the massive amounts of death and destruction that could be unleashed.
But it wouldn’t be much of a series of House Of The Dragon without us seeing plenty of the creatures, and we know that five new ones are being introduced.
For Ewan Mitchell, who plays Prince Aemond Targaryen – the rider of the largest dragon – it’s an opportunity like no other.
Olivia Cooke as Alicent Hightower and Ewan Mitchell as Aemond Targaryen in series two of House Of The Dragon. All pictures: Sky UK/HBO
“A hundred per cent it’s probably the closest we’ll ever get to dragon riding in real life,” he says. “You are ultimately suspended, 15, 20 foot up in the air, you have a wind machine, you have a rain machine, we use something called the volume, which utilises this game engine which projects the environment around you.
“So it really gives you something to react off, you’re not just playing make-believe, and for an actor, that’s just super liberating – it’s escapism taken to another level.”
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One of the show’s most out-and-out villainous characters returning with Team Green is the duplicitous Lord Larys Strong, played by Matthew Needham.
He admits drawing inspiration for the role from a surprising source – the reality show Couples Therapy.
“You know, the doctor – Dr Orna Guralnik, I think is her name,” he says.
“Her quality of listening… I know, I’m sorry, I don’t mean to insult her, but her quality of listening – she’s very focused and attentive, so it takes everything in – was something I thought a lot about. But, I feel like I’m really disparaging her.”
Matthew Needham plays villain Larys Strong
Facts and figures
The first series was made during the pandemic, so an already challenging production was made even more so.
This time around there were fewer restrictions in terms of tests and masks, but the filming was no still no mean feat – with the show made across England, Wales and Spain at its peak, some 1,250 crew were working at one time, and 2,430 were involved in total during the almost six-month-long shoot.
Four hundred costumes were made for key characters, while another 5,000 were created for the supporting cast.
And we know there will be at least one epic battle scene – as it needed 250 extras for weeks at a time.
House Of The Dragon returns to Sky Atlantic on 17 June
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