It didn’t take long for the jokes to begin

Reality TV star Rebekah Vardy has responded to savage swipes referencing “Wagatha Christie” during last night’s (November 17) launch of I’m A Celebrity.

The 42-year-old, who is married to footballer Jamie Vardy, previously found herself in a media scandal after Coleen Rooney accused her Instagram account of leaking stories to the press after having access to her private Instagram account. The well-documented court case, which took place in 2022, was dubbed “Wagatha Christie” in the press.

The case came to a finish after Rebekah lost. However, that didn’t stop her from trademarking the phrase.

Despite the court case ending over two years ago, the “Wagatha Christie” scandal continues to be a topic of discussion, especially with Coleen taking part in this year’s I’m A Celebrity, which Rebekah was a contestant on in 2017.

The ‘Wagatha Christie’ phrase was referenced more than once last night (Credit: ITV)

I’m A Celebrity 2024

We’re only one episode into the 2024 series of I’m A Celebrity and already the “Wagatha Christie” jokes have been pouring out.

Contestant and Radio 1 DJ Dean McCullough referenced the phrase during the challenge, shouting, “Wagatha Christie, you’re coming with me,” while running off with Coleen.

Hosts Ant and Dec also joined in on the banter. They remarked: “It will be nice for [Coleen] to face a trial that doesn’t involve Rebekah Vardy.”

A Wagatha Christie mention already. Oh, we’re in for a good year.

Unsurprisingly, viewers reacted to the light-hearted jokes.

“‘Wagatha Christie, you’re coming with me’ – give Dean the crown immediately,” one user wrote.

“A Wagatha Christie mention already. Oh, we’re in for a good year,” another person shared.

“Not ‘Wagatha Christie,’” a third remarked, adding numerous crying with laughter emoji.

Ant and Dec swipes Rebekah Vardy (Credit: ITV)

Rebekah Vardy on I’m A Celebrity

Following last night’s launch, Rebekah took to her Instagram Story to respond with a cryptic message.

While attaching a snapshot of herself laying down in a bikini, seemingly taken from her stint on the same show in 2017, Rebekah wrote: “That feeling when you are living rent-free in people’s heads.”

She teased: “Can’t wait for tomorrow’s column @thesun.” She also added the eyes and smirk emoji.

Rebekah responds to Coleen signing up for I’m A Celebrity (Credit: Splashnews.com)
Prior to Coleen’s appearance in the Jungle, Rebekah sat down with The Sun and opened up about Coleen signing up.

“Absolutely, we’ll be watching avidly. Everyone seems to think I have this massive problem with Coleen going into the jungle. But do you know what? If you want to fan the fire, the flames are going to get higher,” she said.

Continuing to take a swipe at Coleen, Rebekah added: “I wasn’t going to carry on talking about this. I had no intention of talking about it, but she clearly can’t let it go.”