Vardy v Rooney: A Courtroom Drama cast – Meet the actors and their real-life counterparts
Chanel Cresswell and Natalia Tena star as Coleen Rooney and Rebekah Vardy in the explosive new Channel 4 drama.
The courtroom dramatisation of the well-known Coleen Rooney and Rebekah Vardy libel trial is almost upon us.
Vardy v Rooney: A Courtroom Drama will be landing on Channel 4 tonight, and seeks to explore the dramatic events that unfolded when Vardy sued Rooney for libel in June 2020.
This was after Rooney alleged that Vardy's Instagram account had been leaking fake stories from Rooney's private social media to the tabloid press. Although Vardy denied leaking the stories, the judge ruled in Rooney's favour in July 2022.
The two-part drama will show how the case impacted the two women, as well as their legal teams - but who stars in the new series?
Read on for a recap of the cast and characters in the Channel 4 series, as well as side-by-side comparisons with the real people they are portraying.
Vardy v Rooney: A Courtroom Drama cast
Chanel Cresswell plays Coleen Rooney
Who is Coleen Rooney? A former television personality, she went on to make her own series for ITV, entitled Coleen's Real Women - and she is also the wife of former England footballer Wayne Rooney.
Where have I seen Chanel Cresswell before? She's best known for her performances in the film This Is England and the three subsequent series: This Is England '86, This Is England '88 and This Is England '90.
She has also most recently starred in BBC series Sherwood and Death in Paradise, as well as ITV's Des to name a few.
Natalia Tena plays Rebekah Vardy
Who is Rebekah Vardy? An English media personality who has appeared on shows such as I'm a Celebrity... Get Me Out of Here! in 2017 and on Dancing on Ice in 2021. She is also married to the Leicester City football player Jamie Vardy.
Where have I seen Natalia Tena before? Best known for her performance as wilding Osha in Game of Thrones, Tena has also appeared in episodes of Black Mirror, The Mandalorian and also starred as Nymphadora Tonks in the Harry Potter film series from 2007 to 2011.
Michael Sheen plays David Sherborne
Who is David Sherborne? Known to many as the libel lawyer to the stars, Sherborne is a high profile barrister whose clients have included Johnny Depp, Hugh Grant, Elton John and Harry Styles, to name a handful. He represented Rooney in the 2022 libel case against Vardy.
Where have I seen Michael Sheen before? The well-known Welsh actor has graced our screens countless times in a variety of roles. He has played a leading role as Aro in The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn parts 1 and 2, as well as starring in Good Omens alongside David Tennant, and also as Chris Tarrant in Quiz.
Simon Coury plays Hugh Tomlinson KC
Who is Hugh Tomlinson? A barrister in England and Wales with a specialism in media and information law including defamation, confidence, privacy and data protection. He represented Vardy in the libel court case.
Where have I seen Simon Coury before? He is best known for his role as Sir Charles Troup in The Professor and the Madman, but Coury has also appeared in one-off episodes of Line Of Duty, Vikings and most recently, Maxine.
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Dion Lloyd plays Wayne Rooney
Who is Wayne Rooney? A well-known English professional footballer manager and former player, Rooney currently manages DC United in the US and before that, managed Derby County from 2020 to 2022.
He previously played for Manchester United and the England national team, where he set the record for the most appearances of any outfield player for the England national team. He is married to Coleen Rooney.
Where have I seen Dion Lloyd before? The actor is known for his roles in recent Welsh crime drama The Light in the Hall, as well as Hidden alongside Sian Reese-Williams. He also starred in BAFTA Award-winning feature film Pride in 2014.
Márton Nagyszokolyai plays Jamie Vardy
Who is Jamie Vardy? An English professional footballer who currently plays as a striker for Premier League club Leicester City.
Where have I seen Márton Nagyszokolyai before? The Hungarian actor has starred in episodes of Shadow and Bone, FBI: International, and Ransom.
Vardy v Rooney: A Courtroom Drama will air on Wednesday 21st December on Channel 4 at 9pm. Check out more of our Drama coverage or visit our TV Guide and Streaming Guide to see what's on tonight.
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Authors
Morgan Cormack is a Drama Writer for Radio Times, covering everything drama-related on TV and streaming. She previously worked at Stylist as an Entertainment Writer. Alongside her past work in content marketing and as a freelancer, she possesses a BA in English Literature.
