Wayne Rooney pays tribute to ‘best wife and mum’ Coleen on her 40th birthday

Wayne Rooney has paid tribute to wife Coleen on her 40th birthday, calling her “the best wife and mum we could wish for”.

The couple have been married since 2008 after starting a relationship in their teens.

They are parents to four sons – Kai, 16; Klay, 12; Kit, 10; and eight-year-old Cass.

Rooney wrote on Instagram: “Happy 40th Birthday to the best wife and mum we could wish for.

“We can’t wait to celebrate with you and love you all the world @coleen_rooney.”

The former England and Manchester United footballer also posted a gallery of photos of the couple, dating back to their teenage years.

He also shared family photos, including of a trip to see Oasis on the band’s comeback tour last year, and Coleen with their children when they were younger.

A large marquee was seen being erected in the garden of the couple’s Cheshire home, suggesting they may be planning to celebrate the birthday with a party.

Coleen Rooney, nee McLoughlin, found fame when she was still a teenager as the girlfriend of a football superstar, but gained legions of fans in her own right when she claimed Rebekah Vardy’s Instagram account was responsible for leaking information about her to The Sun newspaper.

Vardy – the wife of England and Leicester City footballer Jamie Vardy – sued Rooney at the High Court over alleged “very serious harm to her reputation” as a result of the post.

After a seven-day trial in 2022, Mrs Justice Steyn ruled in Rooney’s favour, finding it was “likely” that Vardy’s agent, Caroline Watt, had passed information to The Sun and that Vardy “knew of and condoned this behaviour” and had “actively” engaged.

The case – dubbed Wagatha Christie – began in October 2019 when Rooney publicly claimed Vardy’s account was the source behind three stories featuring fake details she had posted on her private Instagram profile – her travelling to Mexico for a “gender selection” procedure, her planning to return to TV, and the basement flooding at her home.

Rooney narrowly missed out on becoming queen of the jungle on I’m A Celebrity… Get Me Out Of Here in 2024 after being beaten by McFly’s Danny Jones.

Wayne Rooney has since said he would be open to following his wife into the ITV reality show.