It was the dramatic pause.......heard around the world.
In October last year, Coleen Rooney accused someone using Rebekah Vardy's Instagram account of selling fake stories about her to the Sun newspaper.
The feud between the wives of two of England's most famous footballers, or WAGS, was dubbed the War of the WAGs and forced even those who hadn't heard of them before to pick sides. The story made international headlines thanks in part to the ingenious sleuthing done by Rooney, who was given the name WAGatha Christie.
In a post on social media, Rooney recounted how she laid a trap on her private Instagram, blocking all her followers from viewing her stories except one account. She then posted a series of false anecdotes to her stories, all of which ended up in the newspaper.
"I have saved and screenshotted all the original stories which clearly show just one person has viewed them," Rooney wrote, before taking her iconic pause. "It’s……Rebekah Vardy's account."
Fifteen minutes later, Vardy responded with a social media post of her own, denying she had betrayed her friend and suggesting it must have been the actions of someone who had access to her account.
"I don't need the money," she wrote. "What would I gain from selling stories on you?"
The whole drama was incredibly messy but sparked some delightful memes and tweets.
Rebekah Vardy to The Sun anytime Coleen posts something.
It was…………………….. Rebekah Vardy's account.
"It's ..........Rebekah Vardy's account." is arguably the best ending to anything that I've ever read.
Well, now the dispute is heading to the courts.
Vardy has filed a defamation claim against Rooney in the Queen’s Bench Division of the High Court, a court staffer confirmed to BuzzFeed News.
No other details on the lawsuit were immediately available. Representatives for the pair didn't immediately respond to requests for comment.
But unnamed sources told the Sun — the newspaper at the center of the feud, remember! — that the two women had unsuccessfully attempted mediation and were prepared to spend more than $600,000 each to fight it out in court.
"Becky has made it clear to Coleen that she is deadly serious about clearing her name, and wants a full public apology," a mysterious unnamed source told the tabloid. “It’s not about money. As far as Becky is concerned, she wants her costs and vindication."