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Daily Mirror
Daily Mirror
Entertainment
Kyle O'Sullivan

Rebekah Vardy's quest for stardom from humble barmaid to 'Victoria Beckham wannabe'

Having started off as a humble barmaid, Rebekah Vardy has now become one of the most famous WAGS of all time.

Becky, who is currently embroiled in the ' Wagatha Christie ' legal battle with Coleen Rooney, wasn't always the glamorous celeb we have become accustomed to.

Born in Norwich, she had a tough upbringing on a council estate and moved out of home at the age of 16.

While working at her local pub in Witney, Oxfordshire, at the age 0f 18, Rebekah had a whirlwind romance with electrician Mark Godden, who was on the darts team.

The pair got married in a lavish £7,000 beach wedding in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico in the autumn of 2001, with Mark saying his bride looked "beautiful" in her £1,000 dress and tiara.

Rebekah, who got a matching chinese love symbol tattooed to her arm, later admitted: "I felt like I should marry him but quickly realised I didn’t love him."

The marriage quickly deteriorated when all the guest left and the newlyweds were left for a final week alone as Becky "changed", according to Mark.

Rebekah Vardy arriving at Royal Courts of Justice on Friday (GC Images)
Rebekah Vardy marrying her first husband Mark Godden (Paul Tonge)

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"Back home, it got worse. She moved into a promotions job and said she had an overnight job in London," he told The Mirror in 2017.

"That’s when she slept with Peter Andre and later sold her story. She was pictured in her bra and knickers."

Rebekah was still married to Mark when she had a night of passion with the Mysterious Girl singer but they had separated at the time.

During an interview with The Sun, Rebekah spoke of the size of Andre’s manhood, which has been at the centre of the current Wagatha Christie legal dispute.

She added: "I told my husband I was going to London to work. (Andre) was really sweet and led me upstairs.

"I told him I was married. I wanted to be honest and I knew my marriage was coming to an end.

"He stripped me and took his top off. He had great muscles. I thought he was going to be a fantastic lover. Then he took his trousers off! It wasn’t worth the train fare.

"Peter was tiny. The smallest trouser equipment I've ever seen. It was like a miniature chipolata."

She went on I'm A Celeb in 2017 (Gourley/ITV/REX/Shutterstock)

Rebekah has since apologised to Andre for making the claims about his penis size and said it is something she "deeply regrets" after feeling "pressured".

Despite the fact they weren't together at the time, Mark received abuse from colleagues at work and they stuck up the photo in the toilet.

Speaking about her quest for stardom, he said: "She was trying to break into modelling and she looks for fellas who try to enhance her lifestyle."

Mark also claimed Rebekah had costly habits and described her as "a good-looking girl but very expensive to look after"

"She used to spend all my money and thought nothing of buying £160 jeans, which was a lot all those years ago," he said.

Rebekah then got pregnant with eldest daughter Megan, whose father's identity is unknown, then her second marriage to businessman Steve Clarke ended after 10 months.

Her first taste of the WAG life came during her six-year relationship with former lower league footballer Luke Foster, who is the dad of her son Taylor.

Vardy's first footballer boyfriend was Luke Foster (Sunday Mirror)

Luke, who is father to her son Taylor, confessed he struggled to deal with her demands during their relationship and her relentless desire for fame left him skint.

He met Becky in 2007 when he was a defender for Conference team Oxford United, but things turned sour when Luke transferred to League Two side Mansfield Town.

"Becky liked the finer things in life. She wanted the biggest house on the street, expensive handbags. She drove my Merc, I had a Picasso. She wouldn’t even let me drive my own car," said Luke in 2017.

"I’d pay for things I couldn’t really afford. I’d get another credit card... eventually it all came crumbling down."

Among Luke’s claims were that Becky banned him from going on a trip to Las Vegas to celebrate promotion and she refused to work in the clothes shop they owned together.

The pair split up in 2013 and it was one of their most amicable times as they put the interests of their son first.

But Luke later claimed Becky told him she had "upgraded" by moving onto Leicester striker Jamie and claimed she wanted to be the 'next Victoria Beckham'.

Rebekah Vardy's ex Luke Foster (John Gladwin/Sunday Mirror)

"I was kind of relieved. I thought ‘thank God’, she’s off my hands,” said Luke, who admitted he actually feels sorry for Jamie," he said.

"I feel sorry for him because it’s all about control with Becky. It’s my way or the highway with her. I fell out with my mum for six months while with Becky. It was over something trivial but I took Becky’s side. My mum was mortified."

However, Rebekah hit back at Luke’s claims in a resolute response when they were made back in November 2017.

In a statement released to the Sunday Mirror, her representatives said: “It’s upsetting Luke felt the need to sell yet another untrue story on the mother of his seven year old son.

“He has already made these claims via a friend in another newspaper over 18 months ago and Mrs Vardy made it very clear then she had separated from Mr Foster months before meeting Jamie Vardy, although as a good mother she kept their family together in the same house for another couple of months so that the children had a ‘normal’ Christmas without being uprooted and disrupted.

"There are many reasons why their relationship broke down but prior to leaving for Australia this month Mrs Vardy was threatened by Mr Foster with the selling of stories, yet she advised us that she would choose not to comment directly about Mr Foster as he is the father of her son and she cares more about her son’s well being and privacy than she does in publicly putting Mr Foster’s name alongside a list of his wrongdoings in the past.

"Mr Foster has a new girlfriend and a new baby, he should put his efforts into focusing on them instead of still trying to hurt Mrs Vardy and in turn hurt his son who will no doubt hear about this story at school."

Jamie and Rebekah Vardy after an England match at Euro 2016 (X01095)

Rebekah then found the love of her life in Jamie, but it certainly wasn't love at first sight as he prusued her for months.

Becky was tasked with organising Jamie's 27th birthday party while working at the Viper Rooms nightclub in Sheffield.

While Jamie was clearly taken with the party planner, Rebekah wasn't so keen at the start and rebuffed his advances.

"He was the most demanding person you had ever met in your life, ever. He just pursued me," she revealed during her stint in the I'm A Celebrity jungle.

Persistent Jamie spent two months trying to woo her and would not take no for an answer, with Rebekah eventually agreeing to go for a drink with the footballer.

In an interview with The Sunday Mirror, she said: "When we did go for a drink he made me laugh a lot but mainly I thought, 'This guy's insane'. But he won me over."

Becky added: "It's just the same as with his career - he never gives up!"

Rebekah and her kids (Instagram)

Just three months later, Becky was pregnant with their first child together and gave birth to little Sofia in 2014.

Jamie popped the question and they were due to get married in June 2016, but they were forced to bring the date forward when he got a call up to the England team.

The couple were dubbed the new Posh and Becks ahead of their wedding at the exclusive Peckforton Castle in Cheshire.

Their fairytale ceremony which was attended by musical stars including One Direction's Louis Tomlinson, rapper Tinchy Stryder and Kasabian frontman Sergio Pizzorno.

However, Jamie's parents and grandparents reportedly did not attend due to a rumoured rift and neither did his daugher Ella, who he shares with ex Emma Dagget.

Rebekah went on to become a celebrity in her own right, appearing on I'm A Celebrity in 2017, where she was the third famous face to be kicked out of the jungle.

With her stock rising, Becky became a guest panellist on Loose Women and made regular appearances on shows such as Good Morning Britain and This Morning, as well as competing on Dancing on Ice back in 2021

Coleen and Wayne Rooney leaves the Royal Courts Of Justice, London (PA)
Rebekah Vardy and Leicester City soccer player Jamie Vardy arrive at the Royal Courts of Justice (REUTERS)

The loving couple's relationship has gone from strength to strength - with Becky admitting it is the only one she has ever felt stable in.

Rebekah is now embroiled in a legal battle with Coleen Rooney over stories being leaked to the press.

Back in 2020, Kyle Walker’s ex-girlfriend Annie Kilner weighed in on the warring WAGS debate by describing Coleen as a 'closed book' and Becky as a 'Victoria Beckham wannabe'.

Speaking to The Sun, she said: "Becky and Jamie saw themselves as the next Posh and Becks.

"Becky doesn’t air her dirty laundry but she enjoys the limelight and, as much as people judge Becky, in ­person she’s not like that...

"Coleen is extremely private and gives away very little. She’s like a closed book and has had to be."

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