Lizzie Cundy believes neither Coleen Rooney nor Rebekah Vardy will back down

Lizzie Cundy has weighed in on her friend Coleen Rooney’s legal battle against fellow WAG Rebekah Vardy

Lizzie – who was once married to footballer Jason Cundy – explained that she believes neither of the women are prepared to back down amid the defamation suit, nor apologise.

‘I’ve been in touch with Coleen and to be honest it’s been very sad,’ Lizzie, 52, explained on Thursday’s edition of This Morning. ‘This is dragging on for nearly a year now and she hoped she could get it solved without it going to the High Court.

‘There’s going to be a £1 million case and the stress… it’s not what Coleen wanted and it’s probably not what Becky wanted at the end of the day.’

She spoke about the fact that the women attempted to settle the matter – which saw Coleen accuse Rebekah of stalking her on social media and leaking stories to the press – out of court. 

‘I think they have tried, there was a video call where they sat down with lawyers and tried to solve this but neither wanted to apologise or back down on this.

‘For her to go public and say that she was 100 per cent sure and Becky was saying it wasn’t her. They were friends.’

Of the public nature of their feud, Lizzie added: ‘From Coleen’s point of view this had been going on for years, stories were being leaked time and time again, it was impacting her family and she was at the end of her tether with it.

‘Some people said it wasn’t the right way to do it and Becky was pregnant but it was affecting her family life… she wanted it to stop and took drastic measures!’

She went on: ‘Becky Vardy is saying “I’m innocent” and Coleen is saying she’s got her proof – and neither is going to apologise! I’m really sad, I know they were friends and their partners played together in 2016.

‘They had each other’s backs in that football bubble where all girls look after each other.’

Also appearing on the show to discuss the matter was Judge Rinder, who talked about the public interest in the matter.

‘There seems to be a fascination with these women. It is counter-intuitive and won’t benefit both parties.

‘These big defamation cases would be in front of a jury but since 2014 it is almost impossible for this case to do so because it’s at the court’s discretion. It’s likely to be a dry case as it’s for the judge.

‘It’s up to Rebekah Vardy to prove her reputation has been lowered… a lot of laundry that you’re talking about that might not get aired because a judge will keep it to the case itself.’

On the expense of the case, he said: ‘This is going to cost an absolute fortune… not only the £1 million but also the lawyers’ fees.

‘But what troubles me is defamation and reputation is really the plaything of the rich! What I’ve found in my court, people and small business are constantly liable to go to court.’ 

Coleen is said to be ‘disappointed’ that her nemesis Rebekah has decided to take their WAG war to court. 

Paul Lunt from Coleen’s legal team Brabners, said in a statement on Tuesday: ‘It is disappointing that Mrs Vardy has chosen to issue court proceedings. 

‘Coleen feels that the time and money involved could be put to better use; her offer to meet face to face still stands. 

‘Mrs Vardy’s decision to issue court proceedings does at least mean that Coleen’s evidence can be made public when the time is right.’   

Rebekah is said to have filed paperwork, claiming her ex friend Coleen libelled or slandered her on social media when she posted the serious allegation.

Last month, the pair held a video meeting in a last-ditch attempt to avoid a very public and expensive court hearing, yet it ended in a bitter deadlock. 

It is now said it could cost each side £500,000 in legal fees, but Rebekah is ‘completely determined to clear her name at any cost’.  

A source told The Sun: ‘Becky has made it clear to Coleen that she is deadly serious about clearing her name, and wants a full public apology.

‘It’s not about money. As far as Becky is concerned, she wants her costs and vindication. But since Coleen still refuses to agree to an apology, she’s gone ahead with filing the paperwork at the High Court.

‘It’s a very expensive thing to do and the expectation is costs could run towards half a million pounds for each side but she’s completely determined to clear her name at any cost.’

According to The Sun, a source claimed: ‘Coleen thought it was a total certainty she was in the right. But now she’s been told she may have made some mistakes along the way and is keen to shift the blame to anyone else. It’s a total mess.

‘Along the way, something has been ­hidden from everyone else involved and it could end up costing them the whole case.

‘Coleen still won’t back down — and now she’s decided who to hold responsible, she is planning to fork out big time and hire a very expensive London legal team who are specialists in media and privacy work. She’ll do anything in her power to salvage things.’

It’s claimed that Coleen has not admitted to ‘a crucial detail of her efforts to catch Becky red-handed’.