Wayne and Coleen’s new reality show could be the making of ‘brand Rooney’– but an expert warns they have to be genuine and unguarded

The world will be watching when the Rooney series airs(Image: Getty Images)

Coleen and Wayne Rooney have battled cheating scandals, public humiliation and the Wagatha Christie court case, but their latest roles – as reality TV stars – could be their most testing experience yet. The couple have agreed to star in their own docuseries, which promises “unprecedented access” as Wayne “swaps training for the school run” and Coleen continues to bolster their already hefty bank balance with her entrepreneurial endeavours.

Produced by the team behind Rooney and Coleen Rooney: The Real Wagatha Story, the Disney+ show will give viewers full access to the couple and their sons – Kai, 15, Klay, 12, Kit, nine, and Cass, seven. And a source told the Mirror the couple, both 39, are “up for conquering the world” with the series.
 

The Rooneys will star in the 10-part show – but filming won’t be easy, an expert says(Image: Instagram)

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“They could be bigger than not just the Beckhams, but the Kardashians,” said the source. “Obviously, Wayne’s work as a manager hasn’t gone as they’d have hoped, but they’re seeing this as a new chapter. There’s been so many rumours and so much drama around them, they’re going to set the record straight on a few things too.”

Wayne was sacked from his role as Plymouth Argyle manager at the end of last year and is yet to sign another contract. His stint as a school-run dad could continue, as last month he reportedly turned down an offer to manage Macclesfield FC.

According to PR guru Dermot McNamara, their fee for the 10-part series will give their finances a significant boost, but it’s not going to be without its potential pitfalls. “This will be their biggest test yet because, even though they’ve been famous since they were teenagers, we haven’t ever seen what their lives are really about,” he told the Mirror. “People think making a reality show is easy, but it’s not. It’s going to be extremely intense for them.”

Dermot believes the reality show will reveal a different side to the pair. “They’re one of those couples who we think we know a lot about, but actually we don’t,” he said. “There’s so much we don’t know about them, like how they talk to each other, how they interact and relate to their families or how they parent. We’re going to get a fresh perspective on who they are.”

Dermot says Coleen opened up but was still guarded in the jungle(Image: ITV)

While we got to see a dressed-down Coleen in the Australian jungle last year, our expert believes she was careful not to give too much away.

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“Coleen’s stint on I’m A Celebrity raised more questions than it answered because she let people in, but was still guarded,” he said. “She didn’t really address Wayne’s past infidelities and a lot of viewers were left thinking, ‘How do you actually live with being so publicly disrespected?’. She’s sufffered a lot of heartache in the past. Now we’re actually going to see how she does it.”

The childhood sweethearts first got a taste of fame after Wayne made his debut for Everton in 2002. A year later, he became the youngest ever England player, aged 17. Since then, Coleen has stuck by him through his troubled twenties, when he admitted to drinking until he’d “almost pass out”. Sordid scandals, including Wayne’s visits to sex workers and threesomes, have also hit the headlines.

Wayne opened up about his life in the Rooney documentary

During that time, the WAG managed to bank upwards of £15 million through exercise DVDs, books and clothing deals. Her appearance on I’m A Celeb, where she was runner-up, added a reported £1.5 million to the pot. But their reality show will bring them a lot more than cash, Dermot said.

“Just because you’re famous and have a lot of money doesn’t mean you’re immune to bad press or irrelevance – every brand can tire, even the Rooney brand,” he said. “Even with their family name, they need to remain relevant, otherwise Wayne would just be seen as a footballer from back in the day.”

David Beckham’s four-part docuseries, Beckham, was a good example of when a reality show pays off, Dermot added, explaining that the 2023 Netflix hit introduced “brand Beckham” to a younger audience.

The couple have what it takes to rival the Beckham’s and Kardashian’s fame(Image: Getty Images)

“We’ve seen ‘brand Beckham’ and we’re seeing ‘brand Rooney,’” says Dermot. “They can do a show like this and not have it be quite as distorted by audiences as it would’ve been back in their early days. People are more mindful of mental health and duty of care. It’s not the Wild West any more.”

Dermot also had a few words of advice for creating a hit.

“The Rooneys need to be authentic and real,” he added. “They shouldn’t try too hard to be seen as relatable. They became millionaires before they turned 18 and we know they live a life totally different to ours – and that’s OK. They need to make sure they don’t hide from that and don’t be condescending to the audience.”