This archive report was first published on 9 October 2019.
On October 9, 2019, a high-profile Twitter spat erupted between Coleen Rooney and Rebekah Vardy, with Rooney accusing Vardy of leaking her private Instagram stories to The Sun newspaper.
Rooney, the wife of footballer Wayne Rooney, claimed she had set her Instagram privacy settings to allow only Vardy's account to view her posts, which she then deliberately posted false stories about her life.
These false stories, including a claim that she was considering gender selection to have a baby girl, were allegedly picked up by The Sun newspaper, despite being only visible to Vardy's account.
Rooney's accusation came after a five-month investigation, during which she posted a series of false stories to see if they would be leaked to the press.
Vardy, who is married to footballer Jamie Vardy, denied any involvement in the alleged leaks, stating that she had never spoken to anyone about Rooney and that various journalists could vouch for this.
She also claimed that several people had access to her Instagram account and that she did not need the money to sell stories about Rooney.
Rooney's accusation has sparked a heated debate on social media, with many calling for Vardy to be held accountable if the allegations are proven true.
