It was social media that captivated the nation and spawned a nine-day High Court trial earlier this summer.
Now, the Vardy v Rooney defamation case will finally come to a conclusion, when Judge Steyn delivers her sentence at around midday.
As the sentencing will be remote, Rebekah Vardy or Coleen Rooney are unlikely to attend court.
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3:39 It all started with a social media post in October 2019 that quickly went viral.
The case revolves around a social media post shared by Rooney in October 2019 that quickly went viral.
Coleen Rooney revealed her ‘sting operation’ to smoke out someone she said was responsible for leaking ‘false stories’ about her private life to the press.
He said he planted these fake stories on his personal Instagram account and altered privacy settings to make them visible only to his one suspect, Rebekah Vardy, so that when they ended up making headlines in the Sun, he could identify the leak.
The internet quickly christened Rooney Wagatha Christie, in a nod to world-famous British novelist Agatha Christie.
Image: Rooney and Vardy at the UEFA European Championship in 2016. Photo: AP
What the Wagatha Christie case is about: Read more
Vardy has always strongly denied the allegations and in June 2020 filed an application to sue Rooney for defamation, claiming he suffered “very serious damage to his reputation” as a direct result of the publication.
Rooney has defended the claim on the basis of truth and that it is in the public interest.
After more than two years of legal wrangling and several unsuccessful attempts at mediation, the case is now coming to an end.
Image: Rebekah and Jamie Vardy left the Royal Courts of Justice in May Image: Wayne and Coleen Rooney gave evidence at the trial
Several celebrities, including Danielle Lloyd and Boris Johnson’s father Stanley, have even taken sides in the highly publicized case.
And earlier this month it was revealed that Channel 4 will make a drama based on the trial.
During the trial, Vardy was questioned about her previous relationship with pop star Peter Andre, Rooney spoke about past rough patches in their marriage and her husband Wayne Rooney gave evidence telling the court he knew nothing of the “sting” operation until he saw his wife’s Instagram post, like the rest of us.
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Regardless of the outcome of the trial, the focus on celebrities selling stories to newspapers is likely to influence show journalism in the future.
And questions about online privacy rights when it comes to sharing your personal life on social media will inevitably have repercussions for everyone, not just the rich and famous and their enviably Instagrammable lives.