Coleen’s relief as Rebekah’s

COLEEN’S RELIEF AS

REBEKAH’S OUTBURST

IS SLAMMED

Coleen R ooney finally feels the tide agains t her begin to turn as arch riv al R ebekah V ardy faces a backlash follo wing a t ell-all in terview o ver their feud

t w as one of the biggest scandals of 2019 –with a pregnant

Rebekah Vardy

slamming C oleen R ooney in

an explosive rant over their

infamous spat, insisting “I

thought she w as m y friend, but

she completely annihilated me .’

PHOTOS: SPLASH, NEWS LICENSING, BACKGRID, GETTY IMAGES, INSTAGRAM, REX/SHUTTERSTOCK Now R ebekah has given her first live inter view since C oleen Rooney publicly “outed” her Instagram account as the source of leak ed stories about her –something R ebekah has denied – with the W AG even claiming the stress she suffered w as only eclipsed by childhood trauma she endured at the hands of her abusive stepfather. Opening up on Loose W omen about the fallout from the so- called W AGatha Christie scandal, a tearful R ebekah – who ga ve bir th to her fifth During Euro 2016, when the two were still friends child, Olivia, last month –said, “It w as really, really hard. I t is probably up there with one of the worst things that I ha ve had to deal with, apar t from being abused when I w as y ounger.” The 37-year-old wife of Leicester City strik er Jamie Vardy described the vicious trolling in the aftermath of the row as “ the worst par t for me and m y family”, going on to describe how the stress put her in hospital three times .

PATHETIC In a dramatic twist, C oleen then w aded back into the row. After sharing a picture of her cuddling sons K it, four, and C ass, one, she released a statement via her representative saying, “C oleen has nothing to add to what she has already said. She remains confident in the legal process and sees no reason to

With ne w daughter Olivia on Loose W omen take the numerous opportunities that have been offered to engage in fur ther public debate on this matter.” Fans w ere quick to slam R ebekah 37, with one saying, “ Ms Vardy is disingenuous –wipes her eyes, sniffs but never sheds a single tear.” A nother added, “ She’s just looking pathetic at the moment.” A nd, “ That w as a bit strong, Becky, comparing your tiff with C oleen to sexual abuse .” In contrast, suppor t grew for Coleen, as one said, “ Good on Coleen. Very dignified.” A nother added, “ Coleen wins again”. The drama has already been compared to a stor yline in the popular T V drama Footballers’ Wives . I nitially C oleen w as praised for her detective skills, earning the nickname WA Gatha Christie for planting fake stories to see which friend’s Instagram account had seen them. But in an unexpected turn of events , man y fans and celebrities, including R obbie Williams , jumped to R ebekah’s defence. She w as bombarded with offers for work, landed a TV Christmas special testing children’s toys with Phillip Schofield alongside husband Jamie, and added 50,000 Instagram follow ers. Insiders sa y C oleen feels relieved now that things are a bit more balanced. A source sa ys, “ Coleen w as stunned that R ebekah w ent on TV to give the inter view. She doesn ’t understand the timing and thinks she is doing it to try to reinvent herself and get a slot on Loose W omen . “C oleen is , in some w ays, relieved that the public ha ve spoken out against R ebekah. She cer tainly doesn ’t wish her an y harm, but is reassured that ever yone doesn ’t hate her and it’s less one -sided.” REGRETS But another source says R ebekah is sta ying strong too , insisting, “Rebekah isn ’t pa ying too much attention to the comments online – it doesn’t even compare to what she got before. She just wants to fight her corner and share her side, and if Rebekah has been hospitalised three times with stress over trolling she’s faced

NEWS

Stella is well respected in the fashion industry

❛ COLEEN IS REASSURED THAT

EVERY ONE DOESN’T HA TE HER

AND IT’S LESS ONE-SIDED ❜

she can come out on top after all of this, then all the better.” As Closer recently reported, Coleen had r egrets over how things turned out, and was envious of Rebekah having a baby girl and a footballer husband at the top of his game. However, recent reports claim her husband Wayne has given up alcohol and, as a result, their 11-year marriage is “stronger than ever”. Closer previously repor ted the footballer, 34, was taking drastic action to prove to his wife he wanted to change following a string of alcoholrelated incidents, including his drink-drive shame with party girl Laura Simpson in 2017.

A source says, “Coleen knows Wayne is no angel, but since he’s come back to the UK, she’s surprised by how he’s stuck to his promises. He’s powered through just to show how serious he is about the marriage and their family. Coleen is thrilled and feels if Wayne continues to stay on the straight and narrow she’ll be back on top as Queen of the WAGs.” By Daisy McLure

PO SH TURNS TO KIM

AFTER STELLA R OW

S

he proudly showed off the £990 boots

given to her by Victoria Beckham

last week – and insiders reveal the gift to Kim Kardashian was

part of the Spice Girl’s bid to cultivate a friendship after

allegedly falling out with fashion designer Stella McCartney.

It’s reported that former pals Stella, 48, and Posh, 45,

are “at war” after the latter hired S tella’s nann y before

seeking to emplo y a member of her s tyle team. S tella then

cancelled an in vite for the Beckhams to join a McCartne y

family party, reportedly prompting a “ distraught” P osh

to send an email begging for forgiveness –allegedly fearful

that the sensa tional fallout will damage her reputation in the

fashion w orld. As Closer previously

reported, P osh

The boots Posh ga ve Kim

They’re both busy mums of f our had already set her sights on cultivating a friendship with Kim,

39, and her sisters in a bid to boost her ailing fashion empire,

after making further losses of £12m, and now she believes Kim

is key to making sure her war with Stella doesn’t harm her brand.

A source says, “Vic’s watched Kim create an empire while

juggling four kids and a marriage in the spotlight like she has, and

her admiration for her has grown. Kim’s bec ome v ery influential –

she’s even pally with Vogue editor Anna Wintour –so Vic believes it’s

beneficial to ha ve her on side .” Following her spa t with S tella,

pals sa y P osh is c onsidering a move back to the US with husband

David, who is mo ving to Miami ahead of his MLS soc cer team’s

launch. T he Beckhams liv ed in America from 200 7 to 20 10 while

he pla yed for LA G alaxy. The source adds, “W ith the

kids growing up and David mo ving to

America, V ic feels she needs to reassess

what she w ants for the next few y ears. She

thinks if she can build up a netw ork of friends

in the US, including Kim, she c ould mo ve

EXPERT:

‘ Holly must not end up

go-between in P hil’s

As her best friend Phillip Schofield navigates his new life after coming out as gay, Holly Willoughby wrestles with how she can best support him and his family

e pleaded with

fans to “be kind” to his family after he made

the revelation on

Instagram two w eeks ago that he

is gay, detailing his str uggle with

suicidal thoughts while battling

with his feelings.

And as Phillip Schofield,

his wife of nearly 27 years,

Stephanie Low e, and their

daughters, R uby and M olly,

come to terms with the news

being made public, no one has

been kinder to them than Phil’s

best mate and co -host of This

Morning, H olly W illoughby.

Praising her for her suppor t,

Phil described H olly, 39 , as

having been “ so kind and wise ”

ahead of the announcement,

adding she had “hug ged me as I sobbed on her shoulder”. But the journey is far from over. Steph, 55 –who spok e out last w eek about the impact the Amanda accused Phil of bullying PHOTOS: CAMERA PRESS, INSTAGRAM, REX/SHUTTERSTOCK, BACKGRID

At the races together in 2017 his wife . But the source says that Phil is now slowly beginning to move tow ards changing his life, following his bombshell revelation over his sexuality. They explain, “Phil absolutely adores Steph. T hey’re great friends, and he ’s in no hurry for things to change. He knows his every move will be watched, so he’s taking baby steps with this new chapter.

revelation has had on her, saying she’ll love him “as much today as I ever have, and alw ays will” –hinted that M olly, 27, and R uby, 24 , w ere still coming to terms with their dad’s news.

DIFFICULT She said, “ We’ve been awestruck by the strength and love of our precious girls, even as they’ve been tr ying to mak e sense of it all for themselves,” adding that it has been “difficult for us all.” The pair met when Phil w as working on children’s shows at the BBC and Steph w as a production assistant. T he star has now admitted that, on some level, he knew he w as gay when they married in 199 3, explaining, “I am not saying I didn’t know. Whatever w as ‘there’, I thought, ‘OK, whatever this is, you stay back because I am happy’.” H e w ent on to say his loyal wife had known he w as gay “ for a while ”. Pals say H olly has been a rock for the entire family. She ’s been close to Phil, 57, and his wife and daughters for almost 15 years, since first working together on Dancing on Ice back in 2006 . T he pair regularly go on holiday with their families together –sharing pictures by the pool in P ortugal in A ugust 2018 , the same year Phil and Steph celebrated their silver anniversar y. A source tells Closer, “ They’re a close -knit bunch. H olly, her husband D an, and their kids are best friends with Phil and his family –H olly’s been there for Steph and the girls, and has let them know she ’s there for them whenever they need her.” Last w eek, Phil –who said he w as “ not r ushing out to anybody” –w as still w earing his wedding ring and had not moved out of the home he shares with

DOUBLE LIFE “He knows he can’t continue with things exactly as they are, as it still feels like a double life while he’s living with and married to Steph but also being an openly gay man. Holly is concerned, and it could tear her apart as she sees how stressed he is about how to navigate things.” Phil himself has spoken about the guilt he feels over his family, saying, “I am very conscious of the hurt. My overriding emotion with my family is obviously going to be guilt, because I do feel guilty that this can’t be anything other than a painful process for them.”

The source adds, “It’s a tough situation for Holly. Of course, her loyalty is with Phil, but she also wants to help mediate with Steph and the girls if she can. She’s not sure what the future holds for Phil, so she feels protective of him.

“Holly just wants to do and say the right thing, but this is new territory for everyone and

NEWS

as a

The pair have been friends for years

marriage!’

it’s scary – it can feel like a minefield. Holly doesn’t want to overstep the mark with anyone, or upset her friend, Phil. She’ll always be loyal to him for everything he’s done for her – but she’s grown to love his family, too, and wants to continue to be there for them and help in an y way she can.” Publicly, Holly has hinted she knows the road ahead might not be easy, vowing to Phil on TV, “Whatever happens in the future, I’ll be sat by your side.” In the months before his announcement, Phil faced unrelated accusations of “bullying behaviour” towards co-presenters Amanda Holden and Ruth Langsford, who was reported to have lodged an official complaint against him last year. Amanda – who said she’d “drawn a line under all her issues with Phillip” – posted a cryptic Instagram message the day after he came out, saying, “Always more interesting what goes on behind the scenes”. And the source adds that Amanda’s feud with Phillip had hurt Holly. She’s become vigilant over the star, especially following controversial opinions from the likes of Celebrity Big Brother star Perez Hilton and actress Joan Collins, who last week questioned the “odd timing” of his announcement, claiming “everybody knew”. They say, “It really upsets Holly that people would make disparaging remarks about Phil. It hurts her, too, as she cares so much about him. Holly’s told Phil that they’re ‘always’ going to be on the same page , and that she fully suppor ts him.” Psychotherapist Kate Medlin says, “Phil was leading a double life and it must have been excruciating keeping this secret. The transition for Phil now won’t be easy. Forming new relationships, especially so publicly, may be scary for him. The best thing for him would be therapy during this time.” SUPPORT She continues,“I have massive sympathy for his wife and kids – it could feel like Steph has lost her husband. She may be looking back and questioning everything. It’ll also be tough for Phillip to see her suffering.

“It may also be hard for Holly if Phil is struggling. The best thing she can do is listen and encourage him to open up to her. She also may find supporting everyone difficult in the next few months – if Phil starts seeing someone, Steph may not cope well, so Holly could feel torn. “She will want to support both of them, but it’s important for her to remember that she is there for support and to listen, not to advise or solve. It’s important she’s not used as a conduit between them or a go-between.” By Daisy McLure ❛ IT MUST HAVE BEEN EXCR UCIA TING FOR HIM TO KEEP THIS SECRET ❜