COLEEN Rooney has taken a fresh swipe at her ex-pal Rebekah Vardy as she uses their Wagatha Christie row to cash in – AGAIN.
Wayne’s wife was famously embroiled in a six-year fight with fellow WAG Rebekah when Coleen turned detective and accused Rebekah of leaking stories from her personal Instagram account.
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Coleen Rooney winks after new dig at Rebekah VardyCredit: Paddy PowerShe does her famous detective work for Danny Dyer in a new Paddy Power advertGemma Collins appears in the ad with her own iconic catchphraseCredit: Paddy Power
In the infamous post, Coleen dramatically announced to the world: “It’s . . . Rebekah Vardy’s account.”
The iconic catchphrase was today used in a new TV advert for Paddy Power starring Coleen and other famous faces including Danny Dyer, Peter Crouch and Gemma Collings.
Cockney EastEnders legend Danny stars as a casino kingpin who flips out when he spots a prosecco glass on his blackjack table, shouting: “Which melt has left their drink on my felt?”
And in a nod to Coleen’s super sleuth skills, he gets a text from Coleen, which says: “It’s… Gemma Collins.”
She then winks at the camera after being described by Danny as a “silent assassin”.
A TV insider told The Sun: “Even after all these years, people are obsessed with the Wagatha Christie case and Coleen’s detective work.
“The whole ordeal was a nightmare for Coleen at the time but she’s since made a lot of money from the experience and is happy to capitalise on it.
“Paddy Power is renowned for its hilarious media campaigns and this is yet another example.”
The advert for Paddy Power Games follows 39-year-old Coleen’s previous Wagatha Christie jab when she was announced as the investigator of Man City’s Financial Fair Play case in an hilarious sketch.
Coleen Rooney said: “I’ve been watching the same game almost my entire life, so it’s nice to have a bit of variety for once, and being back with the Paddy Power crew to film such a glamourous ad was brilliant.
“I loved getting dressed up and stepping into the madness of a Paddy Power casino world – Danny played the role of casino boss perfectly, plus I got to reprise my role as head of investigations….what more could you want!”
Rebekah – who’s married to Jamie Vardy – brought a multi-million pound case to court after Coleen publicly accused her of leaking to the press in October 2019.
WITH research revealing that a quarter of Brits (26%) admit to dating someone because of their moustache perhaps there’s more to Danny Dyer’s debonair charm than meets the eye.
Commissioned by Paddy Power Games, the study has confirmed what women have known for decades – there’s something irresistible about a man with a moustache.
What’s more, when asked to rank the sexiest famous taches, Danny Dyer outranked both Harry Styles and Paul Mescal:
Rebekah and Jamie Vardy have signed a huge TV deal with ITV which will give viewers an insight into their personal and professional lives as they start a new life in Italy
Rebekah and Jamie Vardy land their own reality TV show with ITV(Image: PA)
Rebekah Vardy may be able to put the humiliation of Wagatha Chrisitie firmly behind her after landing a lucrative TV deal to film a reality show with her husband and family. According to reports, Rebekah, 43, will document the couple’s personal and professional life as they film their transition to Italy.
Jamie has now signed for football team US Cremonese. As yet an official title has not been confirmed but The Sun has reported a working title of The Vardys. The family have already relocated to Lombardy with their five children.
And a source told the publication: “There is huge interest in Becky and her life as a Wag, a mother and a TV personality, not to mention the relationship between her and Jamie.”
They added: “She’ll be seen opening up her home and heart as she provides unprecedented access at a crucial point in their history. It’s a real coup for her to have this with a channel as huge as ITV.”
ITV declined to make an official comment. Rebekah was caught in a legal dispute with Coleen Rooney after she was accused of selling information to the media about Coleen’s private life.
News of Rebekah and Jamie’s TV deal with ITV comes after it was confirmed by Disney+ that Wayne Rooney and Coleen have signed a ten-part series focusing on their family life.
Viewers will get to see how Coleen deals with her business life while Wayne, who has retired as a professional footballer, now takes on the school run. Keen to give viewers a real insight into their life, fans will witness the highs and the lows.
Sean Doyle, Executive Director of Unscripted at Disney+, said: “We’ve seen great success over the past couple of years with our Disney+ Original unscripted series such as Finding Michael, Coleen Rooney: The Real Wagatha Story, Brawn: The Impossible Formula 1 Story and more recently, Flintoff.”
He added: “Our distinctive offering of combining the most talked-about household names and their incredible life experiences has hit the right note with our audiences who are looking for authentic and captivating real-life stories.”
Sean went on to say: “As our slate evolves, we want to continue working with world-class producers and homegrown talent in the reality space, with a focus on female-skewed factual.”
Another addition to the reality TV sector of the streaming platform is Jamie Laing and his wife Sophie, who were on Made In Chelsea.
Due to the success of their podcast the couple have become popular with the nation.
Aug. 25 (UPI) — President Donald Trump is threatening to investigate former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, as he continues to use the Justice Department to punish political adversaries.
Trump made the threat Sunday on his Truth Social account after Christie criticized him during an appearance on a Sunday talk show for rejecting “the idea that there should be separation between criminal investigations” and the president.
In a statement published on his Truth Social media platform Sunday, Trump suggested the Justice Department should investigate Christie over the so-called Bridgegate scandal of 2013, in which former staffers to Christie closed two lanes of the George Washington Bridge, creating traffic jams over several days.
Christie came under intense criticism over Bridgegate, but said he was never aware of what his associates did.
Trump accused Christie of lying about “the dangerous and deadly closure” of the bridge “in order to stay out of prison.”
“Chris refused to take responsibility for these criminal acts,” Trump said. “For the sake of JUSTICE, perhaps we should start looking at that very serious situation again? NO ONE IS ABOVE THE LAW!”
Trump campaigned on using the office of the presidency to retaliate against his political rivals, and he has done just that since returning to the White House in January.
He has used his executive powers to punish those he accuses of targeting him, including lawyers who prosecuted his criminal cases, as well as law firms.
His attorney general, Pam Bondi, earlier this month ordered a grand jury into former President Barack Obama over his administration’s investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 election.
And most recently, the FBI raided the home of Trump’s former national security adviser John Bolton. Bolton has become a critic of Trump and published a book about his time in his administration in 2020, which the U.S. president tried to prevent from happening.
Trump has claimed that Bolton revealed classified information.
Trump’s post on Sunday was made after Christie’s appearance on ABC News’ This Week, in which the former New Jersey governor discussed Trump’s prosecution of Bolton.
“Let me say candidly to the American people who are watching: you were told this,” Christie said.
“You were told that this was what he was going to do. And not by me, by Donald Trump during the 2024 campaign. He told you he was going to do this, that he was going to have a Justice Department that acted as his personal legal representation, and that is what they’re doing.”
Outside the train window, there’s a flickering reel of flowering fruit trees, lambs and swans nesting on the marshy levels. Following the Exe estuary towards Dawlish, where the railway runs along the beach, flocks of waders are gathering on the sandbanks, backed by boats and glinting water.
I’m heading for the Dart valley and the English Riviera, AKA Torbay, to explore by foot and ferry, river boat, bus and steam railway. The area promises wine, walking, seafood and an eclectic history from prehistoric cave-dwellers to Agatha Christie. It’s easy to assume a Devon holiday must involve driving, but it can be even better without. On previous trips, I’ve stayed in Exeter and toured by train, or based myself in Torquay to walk the coast path and take the boat to Brixham. This time, I’m testing the limits of what can comfortably be done without a car by staying in an old farmhouse in the countryside, half a mile from the nearest bus stop.
Bus 125 runs every couple of hours from Paignton, and the road from Four Cross Lanes bus stop to Sandridge Barton winery is laced with stitchwort and pink campion, growing under hedges wreathed in honeysuckle. Robins are singing in the apple trees and skylarks over the fields. Hard to believe I was in rainy Essex this morning and am now in a sunny Devon vineyard, ready for the midday tour. A whiff of wood smoke from the fire in the tasting cabin mixes with soft bubbles from the Sharpham sparkling wine, made on site and tasting of oak and tart apple crumble. The last taster, a young, fruity red, comes with Sharpham cheeses and local chilli jam.
Afterwards, I stroll for a mile down to Stoke Gabriel for provisions. The route is almost impossibly idyllic: a narrow track under banks of ferns and wildflowers. The only sounds are birdsong and a waterfall near the old mill. It’s a path I might never have found if I’d come by car. Along the stony beach of the big Millpool, I reach the River Shack and sit right by the water with bowls of sesame-seaweed salad and honeyed anchovies. Dozens of green and orange crabs are marching sideways over the dam nearby, caught and released by children fishing there with sacks of bacon. A heron is fishing too, far out in the pool.
The River Shack in Stoke Gabriel
Back at Sandridge Barton, the new restaurant has closed for the day, and there are only sheep in the orchard and swallows spiralling overhead. My brother joins me from Somerset on the last bus and we have a whole floor each in the pale pink, wisteria-decked Lower Well Farmhouse next to the winery. It would comfortably sleep eight in three doubles and a twin, all en suite, and downstairs there’s a slate-floored farmhouse kitchen, beamed, log-fire-warmed sitting room and a walled courtyard strung with lights (from £278 a night, three nights minimum).
Agatha Christie’s house at Greenway is roughly three miles south, beside the River Dart, so we decide to walk there the next morning. After a mile or so along a lane, paths lead down to the quay at Galmpton Creek and we pick up the well-signed Greenway trail, along a stony beach, through woods and over hills, to the gate. There are lockers to store bags and free hot drinks for visitors who reach Greenway without a car. We have simnel scones with pots of tea before wandering through the gardens. Woodpeckers yaffle above banks of primroses and strawberry flowers, lipstick-bright camellias and cascading rhododendrons. We sit in Christie’s old sitting room, where 1930s songs are playing, and stroll into woods, past mossy fountains, river views and hillsides white with wild garlic. This year, the National Trust has introduced a new half-price admission for non-members after 2.30pm (full price £17 adults, £8.50 under-18s).
The Dartmouth Steam Railway and River Boat Company runs different routes across the River Dart and sells combi and Round Robin tickets. From the little quay below Greenway, we catch the boat to Dartmouth (£12) along the wide, tree-lined river to explore palm-studded gardens and half-timbered houses. A quick ferry trip (£1) to Kingswear brings us to one end of the steam railway (£23.50) and, from the glass-walled observation carriage (£3 extra), the views are unbeatable.
The train passes wooded riverside cliffs and crosses viaducts, then climbs through oaks and neon-yellow broom flowers to reach the sandy beaches of Torbay. We end the day eating River Teign mussels on a sunny, pub-style terrace at The Boathouse in Paignton, with the foaming sea just feet away. The only problem is, once we’ve finished, the last bus has left and our options are a four-mile sunset walk or a £12 taxi. We take the taxi.
Heading to the bus stop in Stoke Gabriel the next morning, paths lead us up from the water, through a blossoming community orchard and the village churchyard, where a 1,000-year-old yew tree rests its sagging branches on wooden posts. A PlusBus ticket for the whole Torbay area costs £3.70 for a day or £13 for a week and gives you unlimited bus travel as an add-on to a train ticket.
From Paignton, we catch bus 22 to Torquay harbour. Red-legged turnstones are scampering under oyster-crusted pillars, and a new statue of Christie with her favourite dog, Peter, was unveiled in April. She was born in Torquay in 1890 and several novels feature local settings. She would have been more familiar with yesterday’s boat and steam train trips than today’s Rib ride (£37). A breezy, hour-long coastal tour takes in caves, coves and rocky arches, cormorants and harbourside seals, before flying us back across the bay with the salt spray spattering our laughing faces.
The Dartmouth Steam Railway. Photograph: Phoebe Taplin
Torquay is peppered with Christie-related landmarks, including Beacon Cove, where she nearly drowned; the Grand Hotel, where she honeymooned; and Kents Cavern, which inspired her mystery novel The Man in the Brown Suit. The tour of Kents Cavern leads through a wooden door into dripping tunnels and dens of ancient cave bears, past stalactites, calcite bands and pickaxe marks. The guide lights moss-and-beeswax-filled scallop shells and holds up neolithic skulls like a cheery, enthusiastic Hamlet (£16.95 adults, £14.25 under-16s, if booked in advance).
Torquay Museum, in an elegant gothic building five minutes by bus from Kents Cavern, displays the fossilised jawbone of a 41,000-year-old human, one of Britain’s earliest Homo sapiens. You can also find stuffed birds and farmhouse kitchens, delicate Egyptian sarcophagi and pictures crafted in Torquay marble. In the UK’s only gallery dedicated to Christie, there’s also one of her fur coats and the walking stick David Suchet used to play Poirot (£10 adults, £5 under-18s for an annual pass).
There’s time before our train for a meal at No Seven, a seafood bistro with a sea-view wine bar upstairs. From the Tickled Pink Torquay gin, flavoured with raspberry and rose petals from Torre Abbey garden, through the gurnard with basil and tomato, the tempura plaice and skate wing, to the coffee with local fudge, it’s pretty much perfect.
Accommodation was provided by Sandridge Barton and travel by GWR (advance tickets from London Paddington to Torquay or Paignton from around £50 each way, or from Taunton from £6 each way), with additional help from English Riviera
Lou Christie, the singer and songwriter who set teen fans screaming in the 1960s with hits like “Lightnin’ Strikes” and “Two Faces Have I,” has died. He was 82.
Christie died at his home in Pittsburgh after a short illness, his family said Wednesday in an announcement on social media.
“He was cherished not only by his family and close friends, but also by countless fans whose lives he touched with his kindness and generosity, artistic and musical talent, humor and spirit. His absence leaves a profound void in all our hearts. He will be greatly missed, always remembered, and forever loved,” the statement read.
Christie was born Lugee Alfredo Giovanni Sacco on Feb. 19, 1943, in Glenwillard, Pa., and took on his stage name, courtesy of a local music producer, when he was a still a teen. Soon he would meet his decades-older songwriting collaborator Twyla Herbert, a classically trained but eccentric musician who died in 2009, and together they would write almost all of his songs and hundreds more for other artists.
In Pennsylvania, Christie recorded and released a single, “The Gypsy Cried,” that became a local hit in the Pittsburgh area. He moved to New York, got work as a backup singer and eventually wound up touring with Dick Clark’s Cavalcade of Stars, sitting on a bus with Diana Ross and other standouts.
“I was with Gene Pitney and Johnny Tillotson, the Supremes, Paul and Paula, Dick and Dee Dee, the Crystals, the Ronettes, Fabian, Frankie Avalon,” the singer told writer Gary James for ClassicBands.com. “To me, this was my graduating class and still is today.”
Christie’s fans screamed over his signature falsetto when “Two Faces Have I” made it to No. 6 on the Billboard 100 in 1963, the year he released his self-titled first album. He spent two years in the U.S. Army and upon his return released the single “Lightnin’ Strikes.” The song, off the 1965 album of the same name, hit No. 1 on that chart in 1966.
He stirred up a bit of scandal with the 1966 song “Rhapsody in Rain,” with lyrics that at the time were considered explicit: Baby the raindrops play for me / A lonely rhapsody ‘cause on our first date / We were makin’ out in the rain / And in this car our love went much too far / It was exciting as thunder / Tonight I wonder where you are” and “Baby, I’m parked outside your door / Remember makin’ love, makin’ love, we were makin’ love in the storm.” The tune topped out at No. 16 on the charts.
His array of album releases grew with “I’m Gonna Make You Mine” in 1969, “Paint America Love” in 1971, “Pledging My Love” in 1997 and more records over the years.
The life of a teen idol in the early 1960s was a mix of dismissal and adulation, according to peer Fabian Forte, who performed as Fabian and toured with Christie in rock ‘n’ roll revival shows in the 1980s.
“They laughed at us. They wouldn’t take us seriously as artists,” Forte told The Times in 1985, talking about music critics in the 1950s and early ‘60s. But, he added, “Don’t get me wrong. It wasn’t all bad. For a teen-age boy, you can imagine what it was like having all those girls drooling over you. That was heaven.”
The teen idols of that era faded with the British Invasion, but Christie didn’t fade with them.
“I hit the end of that whole era,” Christie told writer James for ClassicBands.com. “I’ve always been between the cracks of rock ‘n’ roll, I felt. The missing link. … We had the teenage idols. We had Frankie Avalon. We had Fabian. That thing was just about closing down when a lot of my records started hitting. … They all disappeared, but my records kept going through that English Invasion.”
In addition to releasing more music later in life, Christie would offer up his vocal talents to help raise money for causes including the Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric AIDS Foundation and a rock ‘n’ roll retirement home for artists from the ‘50s and ‘60s planned by the Starlight Starbright foundation.
And in those years after his No. 1 spotlight had dimmed, Christie still knew how to put smiles on fans’ faces, as evidenced after a performance at a festival at Magic Mountain in 1985.
The event began late on one of the hottest days of the year after its lineup and schedule had switched around repeatedly leading up to the concert and the promoter had gone missing. Some acts that concert-goers expected to see wound up not performing — but Christie was not one of them.
“I’m really glad the show turned out well,” Christie told The Times in 1985, lounging in his trailer after his set at the “Spirit of the ‘60s” festival. “I tell you, I was going crazy with this thing — on, off, on again, off again. I had to cancel some dates I had arranged for after this was canceled the first time. But” — and a big smile crossed his face — ”they got their show, all right. The baby boomers really dug it. Even people backstage enjoyed it.”
A representative for the singer did not immediately respond Thursday to The Times’ request for comment.
