Almost a decade ago Rebekah Vardy and her husband Jamie were dubbed the ‘new Posh and Becks.’
While they never claimed the title themselves, Rebekah was extremely pleased with the comparison to David and Victoria Beckham which rubber-stamped her status as one of Britain’s most recognisable WAGs.
This was, of course, long before her stints on reality TV shows and the now infamous ‘Wagatha Christie’ libel trial fall out with Coleen Rooney.
As a former nightclub cloakroom worker, it was a dream come true and she certainly enjoyed all the trappings and privileges that came with the new role.
Indeed, she settled seamlessly into her new life of luxury, with Jamie earning £140,000 per week as Leicester City’s star striker.
Only now the pay cheques have stopped. Jamie’s contract with the former Premier League club team has come to an end and he is yet to sign a deal with another club.
And while there has been much debate as to where that club might be, I can reveal that, perhaps rather ironically, Rebekah is pushing for a move to David Beckham’s Inter Miami football team in the US where superstars including Lionel Messi and Luis Suarez currently play.
It would, of course be a ‘perfect ending’ for Rebekah – meaning she would get to rub shoulders with the real Posh and Becks as well as other members of football’s A list.
What the Beckhams would make of the Vardys turning up, however, is another matter.
After all, David and Victoria value their privacy – and Rebekah, 43, has form for leaking stories about her fellow WAGS: her humiliating, and costly, 2022 High Court showdown with Coleen came after the latter laid a trap to expose her as the source of several personal stories in the press. Vardy sued for libel – and lost, leaving her with legal bill of around £3 million.
Little wonder she is keen to get Jamie, now 38, back in work – but preferably in a place to her liking.
A friend of the Vardys tells me: ‘There are loads of whispers in football about where Jamie might end up next – there is talk of one of the showier Championship clubs like Birmingham City or Wrexham or even Glasgow Rangers but that really wouldn’t cut it for Becky.
‘Miami is much more glamorous, they often holiday there, and look at what it has done for the Beckhams. Getting big in the US has turned them into global stars. If Jamie could engineer a move to Inter Miami then Becky would be absolutely delighted. Imagine the life that would give her.
‘She’s obsessed with the idea of moving in the same circles as Victoria and David. She sees herself as a natural fit: glamorous, bold, headline-grabbing – and she knows America could have a lot of commercial opportunities unlike places like Saudi Arabia.
‘They went to the Middle East to check it out but it’s not really what she’s looking for, even for big money. You can just see her enjoying the whole lifestyle out in the States.’
A major stumbling block to that dream is likely to be David and Victoria though. As co-owner of Inter Miami and one of the driving forces behind the team’s recent transformation into a major force in US football, he inevitably wields a lot of power at the club.
‘The Wagatha Christie case follows Rebekah around and people will never forget it,’ said one source familiar with Inter Miami.
‘The judge ruled that she did leak stories about Coleen and Wayne so that’s hardly going to impress David and Victoria. Yes, they share lots on Instagram but what they don’t share is their own time.’
A move to Miami would provide a financial lifeline thanks to the club’s deep pockets after Rebekah was forced to pay that £3million legal bill, £1.4million of which were Coleen’s costs.
While there is no evidence that they have any money problems, their recent decision to sell their stunning Portuguese villa – described as their ‘sanctuary’ – with a hefty asking price of £9.7million coincided with the final legal payment demands.
Friends insist that their decision to sell is due to them being ‘bored’ of the villa as they have holidayed there for almost ten years now – as well recent wildfires – but there is no getting away from that fact that Rebekah has steamed through Jamie’s millions at a dizzying rate.
And the fact that her husband is currently without a job doesn’t appear to have slowed her down.
Earlier this month she chartered a private jet to fly to the south of France to attend her pal Rebecca Naylor’s wedding to Jamie’s former teammate Danny Ward.
The trip came after other recent holidays to Dubai, Thailand, Lapland, several trips to Portugal, Las Vegas and the Maldives – to name just a few. All were shared with her followers on Instagram, with accommodation at some resorts costing astronomical sums of up to £6,000 per night.
While there’s no denying Jamie has earned a fortune on the pitch – a reported £7 million a year at his peak – it’s also true that their money has been splashed with staggering speed.
As one expert with knowledge of football finances explained: ‘It’s a huge salary by anyone’s measure, but you’d be surprised how quickly it goes.
‘Obviously about half goes on tax, and then there are agent fees and other admin costs associated with managing his career, and other deductions to cover some of his playing expenses and insurance.
‘You could expect in the region of 60 per cent of that money to disappear before it reaches his own pocket – so suddenly £7million a year becomes more like £2.8million.’
And the lifestyle and shopping habits of a top footballer and his wife – along with the needs of their combined six children – don’t come cheap.
Their marriage began with a lavish £250,000 wedding at Peckforton Castle, Cheshire, in 2016, complete with fireworks, a £10,000 gown and a string of celebrity guests.
At the time the couple were living in a luxurious 6,000 square foot mansion in Melton Mowbray, Leicestershire, bought in 2015, with eight bedrooms, a snooker room for Jamie, and vast garden with a children’s play area – all expensively refurbished to become a pad fit for a Premier League winner.
But just two years later the pair upgraded, moving to an even more impressive £2.5million pile in Grantham, Lincolnshire, which they have expanded from an eight bedroom manor to 12 bedrooms after adding a huge extension in 2020 – spending another fortune in the process.
This home has been fitted out with an indoor swimming pool, sauna, tennis courts and a luxurious personal gym – which was gutted by a fire in 2023, prompting another expensive rebuilding job.
Parked outside is a fleet of luxury cars – with Becky usually seen driving a top-of-the-range Mercedes AMG G63 worth around £180,000, while Jamie favours a Bentley Continental GT, at £200,000.
That’s alongside several other top of the range vehicles they have owned in recent years. In 2019 they called in the police after losing £30,000 on a deposit they put down for a new £169,000 Lamborghini Urus, which was never delivered after the company went bust.
When it comes to travel, Becky likes to get around in style – and loves being spotted doing so.
During the 2018 World Cup, she flew to Russia by private jet to cheer on Jamie from the stands as she thought it would be his last opportunity to play in such a tournament. She hired the jet, reportedly costing £100,000, to travel from the UK to St Petersburg, where the England team was based. She also flew to Samara to watch a quarter-final game with her children. Jamie played a limited role, however, appearing in only a few matches.
Friends say the couple haven’t exactly held back on investments either — with mixed results.
There were reports Jamie bought into a now-defunct New York-based US football franchise though he denies this, while more recently, the pair invested in a vodka-based drinks brand alongside ex-footballer Dennis Wise whom Becky met during an appearance in the I’m A Celebrity jungle.
That venture, named SKTL, is still looking to find its feet, with some insiders predicting it has already proved disappointing – despite a launch party at London’s five-star Sanderson Hotel last December.
For now, the luxuries continue. But with private jets, luxury cars, and failed business ventures stacking up, some are beginning to wonder – just how long can Rebekah keep living like this?
Because while the champagne may still be flowing, their fairytale life could soon be running on empty.