Rebekah Vardy says she probably has PTSD following the Wagatha Christie trial

Rebekah Vardy says she believes she is suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) following her ‘Wagatha Christie’ loss.

The wife of Leicester striker Jamie Vardy became embroiled in the highly-publicised trial after fellow WAG Coleen Rooney accused her of leaking private stories to the press. 

In a viral social media post in October 2019, Rooney said she had carried out a lengthy ‘sting operation’ before accusing Vardy of selling ‘false stories’ about her private life.

Vardy denied the allegations and sued Rooney for libel in 2020, but lost the case last week. According to reports, she is now required to pay an estimated court bill of up to £3 million.

Following the devastating loss, Vardy has continued to maintain her innocence, and has now detailed the impact the case had on her in an exclusive interview with The Sun, the very publication she was accused of selling the stories to. 

Speaking to the paper, Vardy said the stress of the case left her feeling like her life was ‘falling apart’.

She said: “It was draining. I had to go to hospital a couple of times because they were really worried about my mental wellbeing. And since the court case, I think I’m probably suffering with PTSD.

“I feel physically sick when I talk about the trial and what happened, and I have nightmares.”

Vardy recalled her lowest point came while holidaying in Dubai while pregnant, saying ‘for a split second’ she wanted to end her life.

She said: “I knew what I was coming back to – I just knew there was going to be spiteful hatred everywhere.

“Jamie and I were in a shopping mall at the time buying baby clothes, and I just thought, ‘I don’t want to go through this, I don’t want to live like this’.

“For a split second, I said to Jamie, ‘I feel like I just want to jump off this top floor’.”

She also revealed that she had been hospitalised twice with mental health issues since the Wagatha Christie row erupted, and had seen a string of counsellors in that time. She was also put on medication to alleviate her anxiety. 

Vardy explained: “I was having serious panic attacks. I had kidney stones which were brought on by stress, and I just felt like my life was falling apart. Physically, emotionally and mentally it was exhausting.

“It was draining. I had to go to hospital a couple of times because they were really worried about my mental wellbeing.”

Despite the stress and the trauma the case has brought with it, however, Vardy said she has extended an olive branch to Coleen, noting: “I’d take her for a coffee.

“Life is too short to be resentful and hold grudges and be bitter towards someone. That is not me. I am not that person.”

For confidential support the Samaritans can be contacted for free around the clock 365 days a year on 116 123. You can also email the Samaritans at jo@samaritans.org, write to Freepost RSRB-KKBY-CYJK, PO Box 9090, STIRLING, FK8 2SA or visit www.samaritans.org/branches to find your nearest branch.

You can also contact the Campaign Against Living Miserably (CALM) at 0800 58 58 58 or via their website here. Alternatively, you can find more mental health services around Greater Manchester on the NHS Foundation Trust website.