Coleen Rooney says she will not ‘engage in public debate’ with Rebekah Vardy

Coleen Rooney has said she does not want to “engage in further public debate” after Rebekah Vardy said the stress of their public dispute has caused her to have severe anxiety attacks.

Rooney shared a statement on social media after Vardy claimed the attacks left her needing hospital treatment on three occasions, during a tearful appearance on ITV’s Loose Women.

In October, Vardy, who is the wife of Leicester City striker Jamie, was accused by Rooney of using her Instagram account to leak stories about her private life.

The statement issued on behalf of Rooney, who is the wife of Derby County forward Wayne, said: “Coleen has nothing to add to what she has already said.

“She remains confident in the legal process and sees no reason to take the numerous opportunities that have been offered to engage in further public debate in this matter.”

Vardy, who has denied any wrongdoing, told Loose Women that she could not comment too much on the spat because “we are in the middle of a legal battle”.

But she did say: “It was really, really hard, it’s probably up there with one of the worst things I’ve had to deal with, apart from being abused by my stepdad when I was younger.”

Vardy, 37, said she learned Rooney had gone public with her suspicions on social media while she was on holiday in Dubai with her husband, adding that the trip “didn’t end up too well”.

She added: “It was hideous, it was horrible and I don’t think I was prepared for what was to come.

“It just escalated, really… the trolling was the worst part for me and my family. I’ve been trolled before but this escalated off the back of it, it was a whole new level.”

She cried as she read out a message from a troll.

She said: “I had people messaging me saying nasty stuff, one in particular said, ‘You fat ugly rat, I genuinely hope you and your baby rot’.”

Rooney, 33, sparked the #WagathaChristie trend on social media in October for her sleuthing work after she said she had spent five months attempting to work out who was sharing information about her and her family based on information she had posted on her personal social media page.

She claimed she worked out it was down to I’m A Celebrity… Get Me Out Of Here! star Vardy’s Instagram account following a process of elimination.

She blocked access to her private Instagram account to everyone except Vardy’s page and planted a series of false stories that later found their way into print.

At the time, Vardy said third parties had access to her Instagram account and an expert was working to discover who could have been behind the leaks.