Footballer Jamie Vardy and his wife Rebekah are set to star in a new ITV reality series.
The programme will follow the striker’s departure from Leicester City after 13 years for a new life abroad, alongside Rebekah’s attempts to put the “Wagatha Christie” libel battle behind her.
Kicking off with Jamie’s emotional final match and his 200th goal, the series will document the family’s preparations to move to Italy with their four children. Rebekah is expected to reflect on her “recent challenges in the UK”, a reference to the legal dispute where she was ordered to pay Coleen Rooney at least £1.4m in legal costs following their High Court battle in 2022.
Promising “no-holds-barred, intimate access”, the show will capture the drama and chaos of house-hunting and school searches, as well as Jamie’s ambition to defy doubters on the pitch at 38, playing for Italian Serie A underdogs US Cremonese.
ITV describes the series as “a rollercoaster journey of resilience, fierce family bonds, and the promise of a new life”.
Louise Major, commissioning editor for entertainment and reality, commented: “We’re thrilled to be working with the Vardys on this series for ITV1 and ITVX. At a pivotal moment in their lives, this is a rare and revealing look behind the headlines – from the highs of Jamie’s football legacy to the realities of starting over as a family, with Rebekah sharing her reflections on one of the most talked-about stories of the last decade.”
Dan Grabiner and Nat Lippiett, executive producers for Orchard Studios, added: “The Vardys are an iconic and brilliantly entertaining family, and this behind-the-scenes insight into their big move shows them as you’ve never seen them before: candid, unfiltered and completely unpredictable. Welcome to the Vardy party.”
Vardy joined Leicester City from Fleetwood Town in 2012 and went on to play 500 games for the East Midlands club. In that time, he helped the club miraculously win the Premier League in 2016 and the FA Cup in 2021.
In October 2019, Coleen Rooney accused Rebekah Vardy of leaking news about her to the tabloid press using information gleaned from following Rooney’s private Instagram account.