WAR OF THE WAGS

Coleen Rooney went to great lengths to catch out her pal Rebekah whom she suspected of selling stories about her to the tabloids.

- JANE VORSTER

THEY used to be great friends – but not anymore. How do you salvage a friendship when your bestie has publicly accused you of being a snitch and you’ve told everyone she’s a birdbrain?

The world has watched in fascination as the once-tight bond between soccer wives Coleen Rooney and Rebekah Vardy has shattered faster than a faulty French manicure amid claims of betrayal, death threats and insults.

In fact, so riveting is the rift it’s being called the perfect pick-me-up for a Brexit-weary Britain. “Best thing ever, isn’t it?” one woman told the Wall Street Journal. “I’ve totally lost track of what else is happening.”

It was Coleen (33), wife of former England star Wayne Rooney, who lobbed the first missile when she revealed herself to be the mastermind behind a five-month sleuthing operation.

Her aim: exposing Rebekah (37), wife of Leicester striker Jamie Vardy, as the person behind a series of stories about the Rooney family that were leaked to the media.

So convinced was Coleen that Rebekah was responsible, she set a trap on Instagram to catch her red-handed.

In addition to her public account on the social media site, Coleen has a private profile where she shares more intimate details about her life with 368 trusted people.

After sneakily blocking everyone else except Rebekah, she started posting fake stories. In one she claimed she and Wayne were planning to have another baby but, after four sons, they were seeking gender-selection treatment in Mexico to ensure it was a girl.

Another story spilled the beans about how Coleen was going to star in the TV reality show Strictly Come Dancing. Then there was a tall tale about how the basement of the Rooneys’ new mansion in Cheshire had been flooded in a storm.