How to watch Coleen Rooney's Wagatha Christie documentary

Coleen Rooney's new three-part documentary about the Wagatha Christie trial has arrived on Disney+.

In the docu-series, the wife of footballer Wayne Rooney speaks publicly for the first time since she accused Rebekah Vardy of leaking stories about her to The Sun newspaper and became embroiled in the subsequent legal trial.

Here is everything you need to know about Coleen Rooney: The Real Wagatha Story.

How to watch Coleen Rooney: The Real Wagatha Story

Coleen Rooney: The Real Wagatha Story is available to stream on Disney+ from today, Wednesday, 18 October.

The new documentary explains how Rooney set out to play amateur detective when she believed one of the followers on her private social media account was selling stories about her to the tabloids, all the way to her successful defence in the high court after Vardy sued her for defamation.

The series also looks at the past 20 years of Rooney's life and how she went from the childhood sweetheart of Manchester United player Wayne Rooney to obtaining celebrity status in her own right.

The show is titled The Real Wagatha Story, after it was revealed Vardy had trademarked the phrase Wagatha Christie, and could command a fee from anyone who uses the term.

Watch a trailer for the series below:

Other Wagatha Christie TV shows

This is the latest in a string of TV shows and even a stage play about the scandal involving Rooney and Vardy. So what else do we already know?

Rebekah Vardy interview, Talk TV

After Vardy lost her high court battle against Rooney in August 2022 she was ordered to pay 90 per cent of Rooney’s legal costs.

Straight after the trial Vardy spoke publicly for the first time in a tell-all interview with Talk TV. She said she felt coverage of the trial had been sexist.

Vardy said: "The whole thing was presented in such a misogynistic way. It just seems like women aren’t allowed to defend themselves. Women aren’t allowed to dress nicely.

"Yes, there’s a lot of sexism involved in it.”

Vardy Vs Rooney: The Wagatha Trial, Discovery+

In November that year Discovery+ released a two-part documentary about the trial.

Each of the two episodes purported to tell the separate cases of Vardy and Rooney. But while Vardy gave an interview to the documentary makers, Rooney did not give her side of the story.

Vardy claimed in her interview that she had been framed.

She said: "I wonder, how easy would it be to potentially set someone up in a way that makes it look like that is the only person that has seen those [leaked Instagram] posts?"

Vardy v Rooney: A Courtroom Drama, Channel 4

In December Channel 4 aired a dramatisation of the trial starring Natalia Tena as Vardy, Chanel Cresswell as Rooney and Michael Sheen as a barrister in the case.

The script for the docu-drama came from court-transcripts of the trial, so revealed no new details to the many fans and voyeaurs who had avidly followed the court hearings with interest at the time.

However, as cameras are not permitted in British court rooms, it was the first time viewers had seen the words spoken 'in character', having previously had to rely on media coverage and court illustrations.

Some audiences branded the show "cheesy" but many still confessed it was gripping viewing.

Vardy v Rooney: The Wagatha Christie Trial, stage show

As well as the Channel 4 show, a stage version of a “verbatim production” using the court transcripts opened in London's West End in November. It was such a hit that its original run until January was extended in April and May and it want on to tour the UK.

It is still not clear what more can be gleaned about the trial from Rooney's news series. But it will be the first time outside of court that she has had her say.

At the core of the trial was Coleen Rooney's public accusation that Rebekah Vardy’s Instagram account was the source of information leaked from her personal private account to The Sun newspaper.

Rooney announced on social media in October 2019 that she had narrowed down a list of suspects behind the leak to just one by gradually removing followers and posting fake updates until she declared the leaks came from Rebekah Vardy's account - hence the 'Wagatha Christie' nickname.

But the reason the scandal ended up in court, was not Rooney's doing. It was because Vardy sued her for defamation and was determined to clear her name.

But High Court Judge Karen Steyn ruled Rooney proved her claim was “substantially true” and that Vardy knew about disclosures to The Sun by her ex-agent Caroline Watt.

The judge ruled that Vardy must pay 90 per cent of Rooney’s legal costs, amounting to a maximum of £1.5 million.

The unusually high penalty charge was partly because Vardy was ruled to have deliberately destroyed WhatsApp messages and other evidence relevant to the trial.

Vardy was also left with her own legal bill, as well as those of some of the journalists at The Sun.

Coleen Rooney: The Real Wagatha Story is streaming on Disney+ now