Rooneys Scandals: A Marriage in Turmoil

They met at just 12 years old while growing up in the Liverpool suburb of Croxteth before going official with their relationship four years later. 

And as Wayne and prepare to mark 18 years of marriage in June, it is fair to say that their relationship has been anything but smooth sailing. 

In 2024 Coleen described her marriage to the former footballer as a 'battle' amid his numerous infidelities. 

The couple's marital problems have been well-documented, including Wayne's notorious brothel visits and escort scandal.

Last weekend Wayne was back to his old ways as he was seen looking 'worse for wear' after partying into the early hours with two mystery women at a pre-BRITs bash. 

He could reportedly be seen struggling to hold up his trousers as he , and Coleen has since been seen out and about without her wedding ring on. 

Coleen previously broke her silence on Wayne's past infidelities in an interview with British Vogue as she admitted their marriage was 'battle at times.'

The mother of four said that although they've weathered some tough storms, the 'love' between them has never faltered, otherwise their relationship would be 'pointless'.

She said: 'It's been a battle at times, I look at [any] situation we're in and think, 'Could we move forward from that? Is it worth moving forward from that?', I don't just give up.' 

Despite their hardships, Coleen managed to find humour in Wayne's betrayals, joking that they've put her in good stead to cope any other misbehaviors of him.

She continued: 'We've never backed away from it. We own it. I remember having a conversation about this with someone and I said, 'Well, do you know what your wife gets up to every day and night? At least I know what my husband's doing!' It mightn't be good, but I know. People lie to themselves.'

Scandal reared its head early on in the pair's relationship after it hit headlines in 2004 that Wayne had visited three prostitutes as a teenager two years prior. 

It was discovered that Wayne, who was 16, had paid £140 for sex with prostitute Charlotte Glover, 21.

It was also claimed that at a brothel in Liverpool he slept with Gina McCarrick, then 37, and grandmother Patricia Tierney, then 48, who wore a rubber catsuit and was known as the 'Auld Slapper'.

Devastated Coleen stood by her man but didn't comment publicly on the claims - though later admitted that when the scandal came out she hadn't yet slept with Wayne herself.

Speaking about the incident in 2023, Coleen said they had had 'screaming matches' over his infidelity and she 'couldn't even speak to him' when he first told her the story was about to break to the press. 

She said: 'The full story was that when he was sixteen, Wayne had visited prostitutes in a Liverpool massage parlour. 

'When Wayne sat me down and told me it was true and that the story was about to break in the national press I was confused and hurt. I couldn't even speak to him. More than that, I felt ashamed.'

'Everyone knew, and everyone seemed to have an opinion. I sat with it all swirling around me like some horrible dream, unable to decide what was best or what I wanted.

'A voice inside me told me not to do anything rash and not to make a decision in the midst of my anger.

'Dealing with that kind of thing was heart-breaking enough, but I was eighteen –years-old. I was upset and confused, not knowing what to think or how others might react.

'I wasn't sure what I felt about Wayne anymore. Also, I knew my family's instinct would be to protect me, and whatever way you spun it, this was not a good look.'

Mrs Rooney, who now has four sons with Wayne, decided to hold a summit with him and hear his side of the story. She reveals how they had a secret meeting at her auntie's home in Liverpool where he admitted that the details were true, though insisted that some of the revelations were 'fabricated.'

The couple also went on a trip to Blackpool Pleasure Beach where they tried to live some 'normality' – wearing hats and putting their collars up so they were not recognised as they discussed their future.

The pair worked through their troubles and wed four years later in a ceremony in Portofino in Italy.

She said: 'He knew how bad this was, how wrong. He looked down at the floor as he told me how devastated he felt having put me in that situation.

'I was still fuming, of course, and there were definitely a few screaming matches in the days to come, In the end though, I accepted that this had happened a long time ago and that we were stronger now, more committed.

'We weren't the kids we were back then, Wayne was no longer the cocky lad trying to impress his mates. If I'd found out he was having an affair or he'd told me in love with someone else, I couldn't have gotten over it, but that wasn't the case.'

Though their newlywed bliss was short-lived, as it emerged in 2010 that the footballer had slept with two more prostitutes.