As Coleen Rooney settles into life in the Australian jungle on the hit reality show “I’m A Celebrity… Get Me Out Of Here!”, the wife of football legend Wayne Rooney has been opening up about the early days of their relationship. In a candid discussion with her fellow campmates, the 38-year-old revealed a surprising and somewhat embarrassing story about a tattoo her then-teenage boyfriend got in her honor.
According to Coleen, a 17-year-old Wayne Rooney decided to get her name inked on his arm as a romantic gesture. However, there was just one problem – he wasn’t quite sure how to spell it. In a move that highlights the couple’s youth and naivety at the time, Wayne’s cousin had to call Coleen to ask for the correct spelling before the tattoo could be completed.
Undeterred by this minor setback, the young footballer went ahead with the tattoo and proudly showed it off at a friend’s 18th birthday party. “He’d got my name tattooed on him! At 17!” Coleen exclaimed to her campmates, still seemingly in disbelief at her husband’s early display of commitment.
But the tattoo wasn’t the only thing that left Coleen feeling a bit red-faced in the early stages of their relationship. She admitted to feeling embarrassed by the attention Wayne’s newfound fame brought to her while she was still a schoolgirl.
I was still at school when he was playing for Everton,” she recalled. I used to walk out and all the girls were going: ‘Whose is that car there?’ And he was in a Bentley… and there’s Wayne in the passenger seat with his arm out and one of the [other] players like Thomas Gravesen.
For Coleen, who was just a regular teenager at the time, the spotlight that came with dating one of England’s most promising young footballers was a lot to handle. “I just used to get embarrassed,” she confessed.
The couple’s love story began when they were just 16 years old, with Wayne’s rise to stardom at Everton thrusting them into the public eye from a very young age. Rooney made his professional debut for the Toffees in 2002 at the age of 16, becoming the youngest goal-scorer in Premier League history at the time. His performances quickly earned him a reputation as one of the most exciting young talents in world football.
Two years later, in 2004, Rooney made a high-profile move to Manchester United, where he would go on to become a club legend. Over the course of his 13-year spell at Old Trafford, he won five Premier League titles, one FA Cup, three League Cups, one UEFA Champions League, one UEFA Europa League, and one FIFA Club World Cup.
On the international stage, Rooney also enjoyed a remarkable career, earning 120 caps for England and scoring a record 53 goals for his country. He represented the Three Lions at three World Cups and three European Championships, cementing his status as one of the greatest English footballers of all time.
Throughout all of his success on the pitch, Coleen has been by Wayne’s side, providing unwavering support and building a family with their four sons – Kai, Klay, Kit, and Cass. The couple, who got married in 2008, have weathered their fair share of storms over the years but have always managed to come out stronger on the other side.
Now, as Coleen swaps her glamorous WAG lifestyle for the trials and tribulations of the I’m A Celebrity jungle, fans are getting a rare insight into the early days of one of football’s most enduring romances. And while Wayne’s teenage tattoo gaffe may have been a source of embarrassment at the time, it’s clear that it was just the first of many gestures of love in a relationship that has stood the test of time.
As for Wayne, he’ll be cheering his wife on from the sidelines as she faces her biggest challenge yet in the Australian outback. The 37-year-old is currently busy in his role as manager of Championship side Plymouth Argyle, where he’ll be hoping to steer his team to victory against Watford this weekend and away from the looming threat of relegation.
