A footballer's wife has spent the last few months laying a trap to discover who's been leaking her personal information to the press.
In a dramatic unveiling via social media, Coleen Rooney revealed the culprit is none other than another WAG (a slang term for the wives and girlfriends of footballers).
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Rooney, 33, is an online influencer married to England forward Wayne Rooney. As well as her public Instagram account where she has more than 800,000 followers, she has a private account only a chosen few are allowed to see.
She says one of those trusted people must have been leaking what she posts to The Sun, because personal information she has posted about has been reported on by the newspaper without her knowledge or permission.
Frustrated with the constant leaks, Rooney decided to set a trap. She suspected she knew which of her followers was responsible but needed confirmation.
She blocked all her followers from seeing her Instagram stories except the person she believed to be the rat, and began an elaborate game of deception.
"Over the past five months I have posted a series of false stories to see if they made their way into The Sun newspaper," she explains. "And you know what, they did!"
The fake stories included Rooney looking into 'gender selection treatment' so she can have a baby girl, considering becoming a contestant on Strictly Come Dancing and the family's new mansion getting flooded. All three were reported on by The Sun.
"It's been tough keeping it to myself and not making any comment at all… however I had to," Rooney says. "Now I know for certain which account/individual it's come from."
She's revealed the leaker is none other than Rebekah Vardy, who is married to England player Jamie Vardy.
The revelation has captivated people around the world who have praised Rooney's patience and cunning investigative skills, giving her the nickname 'Wagatha Christie'.
Vardy has denied the allegations and says she's never spoken to reporters about Rooney. She's suggested her Instagram may have been hacked, and is hurt by Rooney's very public stunt.
"I'm not being funny, but I don't need the money, what would I gain from selling stories on you?" she wrote in a statement posted to social media. "I liked you a lot Coleen and I'm so upset that you have chosen to do this, especially when I'm heavily pregnant. I'm disgusted that I'm even having to deny this."
The Sun has refused to comment on their anonymous sources for the false stories, citing journalistic integrity. The newspaper says it approached Rooney's representatives for comment before each story was published.
Newshub.
