COLEEN Rooney says she tried three times to settle her Wagatha Christie libel case with Rebekah Vardy.
And she launched her sting operation to find out who was leaking stories about her without telling hubby Wayne, a new court statement shows.
The mum-of-four says she was “confident in the truth” of her October 2019 Insta post which accused Becky, wife of Leicester striker Jamie Vardy, of being behind leaks.
Becky, 40, denies this and is suing for libel.
But she condemns trolls who drove Becky to feel suicidal and says there will be no winners in their High Court battle starting on May 9.
Coleen, 36, reveals she offered to settle out of court in May and October 2020 and in January 2021.
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In her witness statement she says: “I would like to highlight at the outset that I have sought to resolve this matter amicably on various occasions.
“I was of the view that the time, money, resources and efforts involved could be better spent elsewhere, particularly in light of the pandemic.
“However, the efforts I made . . . were all in vain.
Explaining her plan to out the mole, she says: “I did not mention this plan or the content of the Sting Operation to anyone or discuss it with any person at any time.
“Nobody knew the detail of what was going on apart from me.
“It killed me not telling anyone about it but I managed it.”
The warring Wags face a week-long court battle but Coleen says: “I have no doubt that this litigation, whatever the outcome, will benefit neither Becky nor myself.
“I should, however, highlight that those attempts to compromise this dispute were not made due to any concern with the underlying merits or an absence of confidence in my position.
“I was seeking to be pragmatic and to consider the bigger picture in order to enable both parties to move on with our respective lives — essentially, an olive branch, if you will.”
Coleen says she never sought the limelight and was brought up with down-to-earth values which she retains despite her “fame, success or wealth”.
The mum-of-four adds: “Friends and family are most important to me and it was messing with my head that someone who I trusted was doing this. It hurt me.”
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She says of her rival’s trolling: “Although I still believe what I did was right, and that my belief it was Becky who was responsible for leaking my stories, I certainly did not expect or want anyone to send her the abusive and threatening messages that I’ve seen were sent.
“That is completely unacceptable.”
