KATIE HIND reveals the vicious insult Rebekah Vardy aimed directly at her - and the truth about what lies behind the WAG's bid to rebrand her 'nasty' public image - suong

Tucked away inside the London headquarters of entertainment channel U&W, executives have something of a conundrum on their hands.

The big question they are pondering is a thorny one: Do the public like Rebekah Vardy enough to commission a full documentary series about the controversial WAG?

The little-known network has been in negotiations with Ms Vardy – married to Leicester City striker Jamie Vardy – for several months over a fly-on-the-wall documentary that she is, for good reason, very keen for them to screen.

Not the least of those reasons is the fact that she now faces a £1.6million legal bill after last week calling full-time on her high-profile court battle with fellow WAG, and former friend, Coleen Rooney – dubbed the 'Wagatha Christie' trial.

Bosses at the broadcaster have commissioned a pilot, but have remained undecided over whether they will agree to a full series and a bundle of cash.

The prospect is clearly appealing to 43-year-old Vardy, and would likely help to resurrect both her finances and her reputation in the wake of the trial.

The decision to commission a full documentary on controversial WAG Rebekah Vardy, 43, is being pondered by entertainment channel U&W

The proposed show would give unrivalled access to her life, allowing cameras into her £3million luxury Lincolnshire home and promising to share an insight into her life as a glamorous mother of five children.

So perhaps it is telling that when the High Court made its ruling on Thursday, Rebekah, who is well-known for her uncouth and often downright nasty behaviour, chose this time to take a different tack.

Indeed, she was magnanimous in defeat – an astonishing about-turn after a six-year legal battle which has cost millions and led to considerable public mudslinging and recrimination.

Her statement, issued through her new agent, simply said that she was 'respectfully disappointed' that the appeal was not successful.

'Now we just wish to move on and look to the future,' it added.

It's certainly quite the contrast to her outburst after losing the case at the High Court back in 2022 when she lambasted Mrs Justice Steyn's judgement, saying that she got most of it 'wrong' and claiming 'this is something I cannot accept'.

So what has changed?

One source who knows Rebekah well tells me: 'U&W have been unsure about commissioning a programme because Rebekah has been so, so mean in the past.

'Do they want to make a programme with her? They have been wondering. They tried a pilot to see what she was like and whether it would work.

'The problem some of execs have is whether the public like her enough to tune in. She has been so horrible in the past so you can't help thinking that this new, grown-up approach is an attempt to reinvent herself as a nicer human being and change her ways.

'There is no getting away from the fact that Rebekah would be hugely entertaining, but U&W is aimed at women and Rebekah has been pretty foul over the years. They are not sure women like her - they prefer Coleen.'

The two women – both former contestants on I'm A Celebrity - had been locked in the bitter legal dispute since 2019 after Mrs Rooney, the wife of former England striker Wayne Rooney, staged an elaborate sting operation to find out who was passing stories about her private life to the press.

Coleen's sleuthing led her to discover that only one person had viewed her private Instagram account which contained deliberately false stories which were later leaked.

Her 'Wagatha Christie' trial against Coleen Rooney severely damaged Mrs Vardy's public image. Here, she is photographed with her footballer husband Jamie Vardy

In a now-infamous 'reveal' post, Coleen wrote: 'It's……….. Rebekah Vardy's [social media] account.'

The case was devastating for Rebekah's reputation. Despite hotly denying Coleen's claim, the High Court found that it was 'substantially true' and that she had helped her ex-agent, Caroline Watt, leak stories to the media.

Worse, in a damning assessment of Mrs Vardy's evidence, the judge said 'significant parts were not credible' and at times her evidence was 'manifestly inconsistent…evasive or implausible'.

Coleen and her witnesses, including husband Wayne, meanwhile gave 'honest, reliable evidence', the judge found.

The fact that Coleen has recently signed her own deal for a fly-on-the-wall show for £10million with Disney+ only cements the idea that the two women are viewed very differently.

Indeed, bosses are doing their research into Vardy. They've been asking around members of the television and showbusiness industry to gauge exactly how people feel about her - myself included.

If Rebekah can pull the deal off it could be fairly lucrative, although reports that U&W would pay her £3million is, I'm assured, 'way over the top'.

What will surely also be at the back of Jamie and Rebekah Vardy's minds is the footballer's own future. His Premier League dream with Leicester is almost certainly about to come to an end as they fight an almost losing battle against relegation.

Regardless of what happens, the 38-year-old's current contract runs out in June so it's unlikely he will be playing top-flight football next season.

There are rumours of him going to West Ham where he would almost certainly earn less but, because of his age, even that deal would not be a long one.

It all begs the question of how the couple, said to be worth £15million, will continue to keep the cash coming in to maintain their very lavish lifestyle, which includes luxury trips to Dubai, Lapland and the Alps.

'Jamie has had an absolutely incredible career as a footballer but he hasn't got many years left as a player,' said one source close to him. 'Rebekah's legal battle with Coleen cost them around £3million. That's a lot of money to recoup so maybe it's time she finds a role where she can bring in a lot of money.'

It seems she may be fully aware of that. Late last year, Rebekah parted ways with her long-serving agent who was not known for being pleasant to deal with.

In a now-infamous 'reveal' post, Coleen Rooney wrote on Instagram: 'It's……….. Rebekah Vardy's [social media] account'

She has instead taken on a female representative who is known throughout the media industry to be 'much kinder'.

One thing is for sure, though: I know from personal experience just how vicious and nasty Rebekah can be.

Last summer, I wrote an article which revealed she and Lauryn Goodman - the former mistress of England footballer Kyle Walker, and the mother of two of his children - had formed an alliance.

Rebekah, apparently, was incensed, and took to her Instagram account to attack me (although I couldn't read it as I had previously been blocked).

'Oh Katie Hind you really picked the wrong person today,' she wrote. 'I'm sick of your needy clickbait, nonsensical attempt at journalism and pure lies.'

I'm used to comments like these – particularly when what I write is true.

When I went to her Lincolnshire mansion to interview her back in 2017 she was also horribly frosty. There wasn't even a courteous hello when I was introduced to her in her kitchen - just a look up and down before she sent me off to play with her daughter Sofia, then two, until she was ready to talk to me.

Shortly before I left, she told me to 'get the teas in'.

Friends of Rebekah's assure me that she is 'actually alright when you get to know her'.

But I have no intention of doing so. And she may well find that others will be more inclined watch her on screen if she isn't quite so foul.