During Tuesday’s episode of I’m A Celebrity, Coleen Rooney disclosed that her decision to marry her husband, Wayne Rooney, abroad stirred some tension within their families.
The WAG, 38, and her husband, a renowned footballer aged 39, celebrated their nuptials in a lavish ceremony in Italy in 2008, reportedly costing an estimated £5 million.
As the campmates bonded on the third evening of their jungle adventure, McFly’s Danny Jones inquired about the location of their wedding, asking Coleen, “Did you get married up North?”
Coleen Rooney elaborated, stating, “No, we got married in Italy, and it was hard because we had to leave certain family and that,” before trailing off with, “It did cause a bit of…” Danny Jones interjected, “It always does,” to which Coleen replied, “But you know what? It was the best. We had four days, and it was the best time ever. I don’t regret it; it was amazing.”
The expenses for Coleen and Wayne Rooney’s extravagant wedding reportedly included nearly £1 million on pre-wedding festivities, £400,000 to secure Coleen’s favorite band, Westlife, and £200,000 for her wedding dress.
The Rooneys’ four-day wedding celebration in Italy featured an array of extravagant events, including a luxury yacht trip, a masked ball, and champagne breakfasts each morning. Sixty-four guests were flown in via five private jets for the occasion.
Following both civil and church ceremonies, the festivities continued at Villa Durazzo with a champagne reception lasting until 4 a.m. Guests were entertained by a live band performing Frank Sinatra classics and treated to a £50,000 firework display. In keeping with their personal preferences, the couple chose a sit-down meal featuring pizza rather than a more formal menu.
Since their wedding, the Rooneys have welcomed four sons and endured various challenges together, remaining steadfast in their commitment to one another. In June, they celebrated their 16th wedding anniversary by sharing a video of their 2008 nuptials on Instagram. The clip featured Coleen in a strapless gown with a veil and Wayne in a suit, along with moments from his speech and their first dance. Coleen captioned the post, “16 years happy anniversary @Waynerooney.”
Wayne Rooney also commemorated their 16th wedding anniversary with a heartfelt Instagram post, sharing a romantic throwback photo of Coleen in one of her three wedding dresses—a white Grecian-style gown. Accompanying the picture, he wrote: “Happy Anniversary @coleen_rooney. 16 years today. Love you.”
In the same episode of I’m A Celeb, Coleen reflected on the early stages of her relationship with Wayne. The pair first met at the age of 12 but didn’t begin dating until she was 16. She recounted feeling “embarrassed” when Wayne, then an Everton player, would arrive at her school in a luxury car.
“I was still at school when he was playing for Everton,” she explained. “I used to walk out, and all the girls were going, ‘Whose is that car there?’ He was in a Bentley and something else, sitting in the passenger seat with his arm out while one of the players, like Thomas Gravesen, was driving.”
Coleen clarified that the car didn’t belong to Wayne, noting, “He just used to get a lift home!”
