Coleen Rooney celebrated her 40th birthday in true Wagatha Christie fashion – with tight security at her £20 million mansion, and guests being told about the party theme only at the last minute.
Mrs Rooney – who won her nickname after exposing fellow WAG Rebekah Vardy for passing stories about her to the tabloids – was keen there would be no leaks from Friday night’s bash.
A source close to the wife of ex-England footballer Wayne Rooney, 40, told The Mail on Sunday said: ‘In her true Wagatha Christie way, she’s been incredibly careful about the whole thing.
‘Coleen runs a tight ship and if there’s one thing she’s strict about, it’s releasing information, so she keeps all details under lock and key until the right moment. We didn’t even know the theme until the day of the party.
‘It’s not that she doesn’t trust her friends, but she’s been betrayed before – she certainly won’t be betrayed again.’
The 80 or so guests handed in their phones at the door to guarantee no pictures were leaked and so that Mrs Rooney could have the final say on what was released.
So successful was she at keeping it under wraps that the neighbours on the edge of her sprawling Cheshire estate hadn’t caught wind of it.
One told the MoS: ‘I didn’t even know she was having a party. It’s nice having them here and there’s never any problems.’
Coleen Rooney (right) celebrated her 40th birthday in Wagatha Christie fashion – with security at her £20 million mansion and guests being told the party theme at the last minute
The 80 or so guests handed in their phones at the door to guarantee no pictures were leaked and so that Mrs Rooney could have the final say on what was released
Celebrations kicked off at 7pm with Rooney’s former Manchester United teammates Ryan Giggs, Paul Scholes and Darren Fletcher arriving promptly.
A helicopter landed on the freshly mowed lawn as guests flocked to a large marquee.
Fellow WAG Abbey Clancy, wife of Peter Crouch, bounded in, chatting animatedly, before Kyle Walker’s pregnant wife Annie Kilner turned up alone around 8pm.
Leanne Brown, ex-wife of Wayne’s former teammate Wes was there, as were Irish singer Dermot Kennedy, former Stoke City and Burnley defender Phil Bardsley and his wife Tanya, and ex-Manchester United defender Phil Jones and his wife Kaya Hall.
Mrs Rooney dazzled as she greeted all her guests at the entrance to the marquee, wearing a long-sleeved, floor-length lilac gown with a high neck.
The theme was pastel, with the marquee a sea of pink and white decorations, including hundreds of roses. A balloon arch was set up bearing the number 40, and guests posed for pictures alongside it.
A friend told the MoS: ‘It’s family first always with Coleen and so it was important her boys were included in the party!’
Eldest son Kai carried a bouquet of flowers across to the marquee to congratulate his mother on her big day. Guests were still dancing to a live band at 2am.
On departure, they were shown to a fleet of chauffeur-driven blacked-out minibuses to go to their accommodation.
Rooney had paid tribute to his wife in a series of posts on Instagram, writing: ‘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.’
But while Mrs Rooney planned a surprise celebration for her husband of 18 years for his 40th last October, he steered clear from anything to do with her birthday for fear of disappointing his wife.
Mrs Rooney said: ‘He always uses the excuse of, ‘It wouldn’t be good enough for you’. He’s not really a planner, so he’ll say, ‘There’s no point in me doing it because you’d want to do it yourself’.’
The Rooneys, now worth a combined £200 million, have known each other since they were 12, having grown up on the same housing estate in Liverpool.
Additional reporting: Stewart Waddingham
