The REAL reasons Coleen Rooney stays with Wayne – from her Catholic faith to a united front despite sex jokes
THEY’VE been together for 19 years, are the proud parents to four gorgeous boys and both excel in their chosen careers.
But all eyes are on the Rooneys this week for the wrong reasons after Wayne, 35, was spotted in a hotel room with Snapchat model Tayler Ryan and her pals Elise Melvin and Brooke Morgan, all 21.
The antics have raised eyebrows with many questioning the effect the Derby manager’s recent behaviour will have on their turbulent 13-year marriage.
Original WAG Coleen, also 35, has long stood by her man - and many have questioned why.
She’s an icon in her own right - having launched her own fitness videos, fronting a successful clothing line for Littlewoods, penning no less than seven books and she has a personal net worth of a reported £13.8 million.
Here, we look at the real reasons why Coleen stays with Wayne - from her strong Catholic faith, to putting on a united front despite crude sex jokes and marriage ‘ground rules’.
STRICT GROUND RULES
This isn’t the first time the Rooney’s marriage has hit the headlines, and it’s reported that Coleen has developed a set of marriage ‘ground rules’ for Wayne.
A source previously told The Sun that the mum-of-four had put a ban on video games to encourage Wayne to spend more time with his family and reduce his “childish antics.”
The source added: “(She) wants family dinners at home for them to connect and is making sure she sets aside time to spend with Wayne alone.
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“Coleen has stuck by Wayne through everything and, when reading the riot act didn’t work, drawing up some new rules was her final option.”
Meanwhile, another source said the couple had been relying on date nights to keep the relationship strong during lockdown.
They said: “There’s a lot of movie nights, family games nights, at-home date nights – and Wayne even does a boys’ night to give Coleen a break one evening a week.”
A UNITED FRONT - DESPITE CRUDE SEX JOKES
Wayne’s wrong-doings have often left Coleen in the glare of the public eye, her every move being watched as people attempt to second guess how she’ll react.
But relationship expert Jo Barnett says that Coleen is determined to put on a united front in the face of adversity.
Speaking to , after Wayne was overheard at a Soccer Aid event in September telling party-goers he “hadn’t had sex for ages”, Jo said: “Despite Wayne’s silly comment, I imagine she’ll be hoping to move past this and, most importantly, keep up her image of a strong and confident person on social media.
“She’ll forgive Wayne for his latest betrayal because she wants to keep it together in public.
“She has always tried to present a ‘happy family’ image through all the dramas over the years.”
DOING IT FOR THE BOYS
Despite some of Wayne’s past indescrepencies, Coleen has made it clear on more than one occasion that she’s determined to make their marriage work for her children, Kai, 11, Klay, eight, Kit, five and Cass, three.
She previously issued a very personal statement about her marriage in 2017 , saying: “... a few people are probably thinking I am stupid for staying in my marriage. I am not stupid, I know my own mind and it’s something I want to try and work on.”
She added: “I know I would be fine on my own, with just me and my children, but I don't want to live like that, I want to try and continue our marriage and live as a family, because that’s what I want to do."
Pals also acknowledge that, despite his slip-ups, Wayne is a fantastic dad to his kids.
“She loves him,” one of Wayne’s mates previously told The Sun. “But more than that, she loves family. Most of the time he’s a good husband and a hands-on dad.
“Some years ago after one of his other idiotic drunken sprees she gave him a big lecture and he asked if she wanted to call it a day.
“She was forced to admit that divorce is not something she wanted to think about.”
A FEAR OF BEING ALONE
Relationship psychologist Jo Hemmings says that being with Wayne since her teens has made Coleen reluctant to let go of what they have.
Speaking to Fabulous Digital, she says: “Coleen and Wayne have been dating since they were 16 and their 13 year marriage has definitely had more than its fair share of scandals and difficulties.
“While she would appear to be the very definition of ‘stand by her man’, we have to remember that not only do they have four children together, but Coleen is also in the midst of her ongoing Wagatha Christie court battle with Rebekah Vardy, which will undoubtedly have put further strain on their marriage.
It could be fear of being alone, having had no experience of that in her adult life
Jo Hemmings
“I think Coleen appreciates that Wayne, while seemingly very weak-willed in terms of having his head turned at the slightest provocation, is also someone she has known since she was a child.”
Jo added: “That he is flawed – as we all are – but having come this far, she is prepared to tolerate a marriage which in spite of its challenges, she is determined to stick with and see through, all the while ‘protecting’ her husband from the press. It could be love. It could be determination.
“It could be fear of being alone, having had no experience of that in her adult life. In truth it’s probably a mixture of all four and while she may seem forgiving of his indiscretions in public, I suspect there is quite a different scenario going on behind closed doors. But she’s come this far – and there is a certain long-term codependency in their relationship. I don’t think either could imagine life without the other.”
FAMILY TIES
If the couple were to split it is not just Coleen and her kids that would be left devastated.
Her parents Tony and Colette often help out with childcare for the couple’s sons and join her on holiday.
Her brothers are good mates with Wayne, and two of the footballer’s sons were given Joseph and Anthony as their middle names in honour of their uncles.
Joe and Anthony McLoughlin have become involved in business with Wayne, who is understood to have supported their new spinning fitness classes in Liverpool.
Coleen also grew up in a strict catholic household, with divorce typically frowned upon by practicing catholics.
LOVE’S YOUNG DREAM
Coleen and Wayne, who are both from Liverpool, are the ultimate childhood sweethearts. They first started dating aged 16, just after they left secondary school.
Coleen became a regular attendee of his football games and supported him throughout his early career, when he represented England at 17 and then joined Manchester United from Everton.
Ever since, Coleen has been her husband’s biggest supporter helping him to navigate through the early years of fame.
They got married in Italy in June 2008, documenting the wedding in OK! Magazine where they were paid a £2.5 million fee.
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The couple swapped loving messages to mark their 13th wedding anniversary in June 2021, with Coleen writing, “13 years married!! Happy Anniversary @waynerooney ❤️ xxx”
Wayne penned: “Happy Anniversary @coleen_rooney. ❤️😘 #13YearsMarried.”
Sally Land, Dear Deirdre Editor says…
I think the main reason will be the children - she'll think they are better together for their kids's sake.
Although of course, if the relationship is so unhappy the children will pick up on that and it can be more damaging for them.
We don't know if they are getting relationship help, or if he's getting help with his drinking...but if he is he's showing her he's working at his issues she could be hanging in there to give him another chance.
Also - she comes from a very Catholic family - as does Rooney - and Catholics don't believe in divorce - it's still seen as very shameful.
If absolutely necessary they go for a judicial separation.
