Is this the tweet that inspired Coleen Rooney's investigation?
Back in January this year, Coleen Rooney claimed fake stories about her were being leaked to the tabloid press. This led to her post false content to her private Instagram account in a bid to catch whoever was selling the stories.
After a lengthy investigate Coleen – dubbed online as WAGatha Christie – says those fake stories that wound up in the tabloids could only be seen by fellow WAG Rebekah Vardy's account, making her the prime suspect, which Vardy vehemently denies.
But it’s too late: the spat has now gone viral, particularly with regard to how Rooney says she arrived at her conclusion.
"I came up with an idea, I blocked everyone from viewing Instagram except ONE account," she wrote in her statement before adding: "Over the past five months I have posted a series of false stories to see if they made their way into the Sun newspaper. And you know what, they did!"
Now, it has emerged the methods Rooney employed were suggested to her some months ago.
Read more: Who is Rebekah Vardy?
On 27 January, Rooney tweeted her suspicions that stories were being sold about her to the press after she claimed there were false reports about her being involved in a crash.
It’s happened several times now over the past couple of years. It’s sad to think Someone, who I have accepted to follow me is betraying for either money or to keep a relationship with the press.
— Coleen Rooney (@ColeenRoo) January 27, 2019
She posted in a string of tweets to the micro-blogging site: "Thank you for the messages asking if I am ok... the car crash story was completely wrong.... I wasn’t involved in a crash ...the car was damaged by another car. Someone on my private Instagram seen the picture and is telling or selling stories to a certain newspaper.
"It’s happened several times now over the past couple of years. It’s sad to think Someone, who I have accepted to follow me is betraying for either money or to keep a relationship with the press."
A follower of Rooney – “dave” – then reached out to offer some advice, saying: "Make a false story tell ppl different things see which 1 comes out = find the culprit."
Make a false story tell ppl different things see which 1 comes out = find the culprit
— dave (@dbuzz89) January 27, 2019
Regardless of whether Rooney's sleuthing arose from the suggestion, many have made light of the situation on Twitter.
One social media user wrote: "The pulitzer prize for investigative reporting goes to coleen rooney."
WAGatha Christie
— Phoebe Roberts (@phbrbrts) October 9, 2019
Coleen Rooney explaining how she was gonna trap Rebekah Vardy to Wayne pic.twitter.com/TGyq7mAFrl
— lou (@lou_tredaway) October 9, 2019
Columbo Rooney pic.twitter.com/JHgPvuUfsy
— Artist formerly known as Jon (@MannyJohnCandy) October 9, 2019
Vardy responded to Rooney’s public post with one of her own, where she address her directly as she wrote: “I’m so upset that you’ve chosen to do this, especially when I am heavily pregnant.”
The mother-of-four said she hadn't been the only person to have access to her Instagram account over the years.
She shared: "Over the past years various people have had access to my Insta... I’m not being funny but I don’t need the money. What would I gain from selling stories on you?”
A representative for Rebekah told Yahoo: “It isn’t true, she is now very upset and stressed so has passed it to her legal team to deal with. Such a shame that Coleen didn’t just call her when she had her number.”