BECKY Vardy is locked in a new Wagatha battle – this time over Coleen Rooney’s £1.8million legal bill.
The wife of Leicester star Jamie has to pay 90 per cent of her rival’s costs after losing their libel trial last July — but Becky claims some of the figures have rocketed by more than 300 per cent.
4
4
Becky hit the roof when she was landed with Coleen’s legal bill, including £2,000 for one of her lawyers to stay at a five-star hotel.
They also racked up a £225 tab for breakfast and drinks at London’s Nobu Hotel, sparking a furious fightback.
Becky, 41, was told she would have to pay 90 per cent of 37-year-old Coleen’s legal bill when she lost their libel trial, with the amount to be assessed.
She then received the final tally in April — amounting to a colossal £1.8million, way above the £500,000 which Coleen’s team is said to have originally budgeted for in court.
Incensed, Becky hired a legal team to demand a breakdown of the costs from the wife of ex-England star Wayne.
Sources say she is prepared to pay what she “rightfully owes” but has now launched a legal “war” over the spiralling costs.
The dispute could lead to another court showdown between the two former friends after their original trial gripped the nation last summer.
A source said: “Becky was furious after seeing Coleen’s bill and hired a legal team to push back. To her, it’s war.
“In court Coleen’s costs were budgeted at just over £500,000 and Becky thinks she’s pushing her luck by asking for almost £2million.
“Her legal team has said that some of the costs appear to have been inflated.
“They went back to Coleen’s team and asked for a detailed breakdown of some of the points.”
The Sun understands that some of the sums previously budgeted for in court have increased substantially – in one case by as much as 300 per cent.
4
4
Among the points of contention is a bill from Coleen for one of her team which includes a £1,994 stay at the luxury Nobu Hotel in central London.
There was also a £225 bill for the “mini bar, breakfast and lounge drinks”.
Read Related Also: Lauren Sánchez flaunts massive engagement ring on European getaway with Jeff Bezos
It comes after Becky was forced to pay Coleen an interim payment of £800,000 in November last year after losing her libel battle at London’s High Court.
Other legal costs for Coleen’s lawyer David Sherborne and two experts are also among the figures being queried.
The source continued: “Becky has been given paperwork as part of the bill which shows how much Coleen’s team budgeted – and how much they are charging. David Sherborne, for example, had budgeted costs of £299,000 but they have billed for £524,000.
And one of the experts who spoke at the trial, the court budgeted just over £32,000 for them but the final bill is over £148,000 – that is an increase of 359 per cent.
“There is also a £6,000 fee on the bill for briefing the Press and preparing press releases.”
It is understood that Becky’s team have not yet received answers from Coleen over some of the points.
This means the pair could be forced back to court to resolve the issue.
The source added: “As far as Becky is concerned, she will fight to get this sorted. Becky has pushed her team to try and finish the job so she can pay what she rightfully owes so she can get on with her life.”
The original case was triggered when mum-of-four Coleen turned detective to find the source of a number of stories leaked to the Press.
In a tweet in October 2019 she detailed her investigatory work and concluded with the bombshell line: “It’s . . . Rebekah Vardy’s account.”
She was dubbed “Wagatha Christie” as her post went viral, forcing the return of Becky, then heavily pregnant with her fifth child, from a holiday in Dubai.
Becky denied she was responsible for the leaks and sued Coleen for libel, with the case eventually coming to court in May last year.
However she lost her claim when the judge ruled in July that Coleen’s post was “substantially true”.
The trial has been turned into a stage show and a two-part Channel 4 drama.
Becky later told The Sun she felt like she had post-traumatic stress disorder.
She said last August: “I feel physically sick when I talk about the trial and what happened, and I have nightmares.
“I haven’t gone to get a diagnosis yet but I do know I probably need some more therapy. It’s been a horrible time.”
Coleen and husband Wayne are working on a Disney documentary where they will tell all about the trial.
It is believed to be set for release later this year.
A spokesperson for Becky refused to comment.
!function(f,b,e,v,n,t,s){if(f.fbq)return;n=f.fbq=function(){n.callMethod?
n.callMethod.apply(n,arguments):n.queue.push(arguments)};if(!f._fbq)f._fbq=n;
n.push=n;n.loaded=!0;n.version=’2.0′;n.queue=[];t=b.createElement(e);t.async=!0;
t.src=v;s=b.getElementsByTagName(e)[0];s.parentNode.insertBefore(t,s)}(window,
document,’script’,’
fbq(‘init’, ‘752905198150451’);
fbq(‘track’, “PageView”);
