Rebekah and Jamie Vardy 'will not flee to US after Wagatha Christie case', she says

19 May 2022, 07:27 | Updated: 19 May 2022, 10:01

Rebekah Vardy vs Coleen Rooney Libel Trial Day 6 in London
Rebekah Vardy vs Coleen Rooney Libel Trial Day 6 in London. Picture: Getty

By Emma Soteriou

Rebekah Vardy has denied that she and husband, footballer Jamie Vardy, will flee the UK after the Wagatha Christie case - regardless of the outcome.

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It comes as Ms Vardy and Coleen Rooney's High Court libel battle draws to a close on Thursday, with lawyers for each of the women to set out their cases in closing speeches.

Ms Vardy was said to have been "keen" to get out of the UK "as fast as possible" after the case, according to the Sun.

A source told the paper that the trial had been "really miserable for the family" and moving away "would be the perfect escape after everything that has gone on".

However, a spokesman for Ms Vardy told MailOnline: "The story in The Sun newspaper claiming the Vardy family are planning to move to the United States is categorically untrue."

Read more: 'No one has cried as much as Vardy': Court sketcher reflects on Wagatha case

Read more: Coleen's Wagatha Christie dossier as full texts and posts revealed in court

Rebekah Vardy arrives for second day of 'Wagatha Christie' High Court libel trial

Over six days in the courtroom, Ms Vardy and Ms Rooney have each given evidence, as has Ms Rooney's husband, Wayne Rooney.

Outlining Ms Vardy's case on Tuesday, her barrister Hugh Tomlinson QC told the court she had "no choice" but to bring the legal action against Ms Rooney so she could clear her name and "establish her innocence and vindicate her reputation".

David Sherborne, representing Ms Rooney, told Ms Justice Steyn - the judge hearing the trial - that the case is essentially a "detective story" and "like any good detective story, you never find a person standing over the body with a smoking gun".

He said there was "inference", saying: "You do not have to be convinced beyond reasonable doubt, you just have to conclude that it is more likely than not that Mrs Vardy was responsible, either directly or through Ms (Caroline - Mrs Vardy's friend and agent) Watt."

Ms Rooney is defending the claim on the basis of truth and public interest.

The fake stories she planted on her Instagram during the sting operation featured her travelling to Mexico for a "gender selection" procedure, her planning to return to TV and the basement flooding at her home.

In an infamous social media post, she wrote: "I have saved and screenshotted all the original stories which clearly show just one person has viewed them.

"It's ........... Rebekah Vardy's account."

The judge will reserve her ruling on the case to a later date.