Wagatha Christie court artist admits trolls comments about her work 'really hurts'

The ongoing saga of the Wagatha Christie libel trial at the High Court has kept the British public engrossed as Rebekah Vardy and Coleen Rooney came to face to face over that explosive tweet.

From tears in the witness box to unintentional comedy, along with juicy details as well as appearances from footballers (and husbands) Wayne Rooney and Jamie Vardy, the case has enthralled social media.

As there are no cameras allowed in court, the only way the public gets a glimpse of the action is through court sketches of the celebs from artists covering the case - and people have had plenty to say about them.

Some of the sketches have been roasted online, with people comparing Wayne Rooney to Tyson Fury, one of the Mitchell brothers and a potato, with Jamie Vardy sketches getting likened to Robbie Rotten from LazyTown, and Count Olaf from A Series of Unfortunate Events.

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While others said sketches of Rebekah Vardy drew a similarity to Michael Jackson, and drawings of Coleen Rooney were also mocked.

Now courtroom sketch artist, Priscilla Coleman who's been covering the Wagatha Christie case has revealed the difficulty of her role in capturing key moments of the trial and says criticism of her sketches "really hurts."

During her career, Coleman has covered everything from the trials of Fred and Rose West to the James Bulger murder as well as celebrity cases involving Amy Winehouse and Jeffrey Archer.

Coleman is not allowed to create sketches while sitting in court and so has to decide the right time to leave the courtroom to draw, meaning she's sketching from memory, and also is up against tight deadlines.

"I'm like a human camera that has flaws. It comes out in my material. I'm not a snapper, I can take notes but if I try to do a drawing in a court room I'd be arrested and fined," she told MailOnline.

Coleman shared some the sketches she drew of the Wagatha Christie trial during her interview on ITV's LorraineYouTube/Lorraine

"I sometimes wait for a moment for paper to be passed around. That's a good time to go out. You have to go with the flow," and added she tends to leave court when the image is still "fresh in my head."

On the topic of Coleen Rooney and Rebekah Vardy, Coleman said "their make-up is great, their hair is amazing," described them as "both beautiful but very different," and detailed the features that stood out to her:

Coleen Rooney

"Coleen is very sporty. She has a sporty and healthy face," Coleman told MailOnline.

Rebekah Vardy

"Rebekah is luscious, she's like an hourglass figure type from the 1950s movies. She has gorgeous braids," she explained.

"Vardy is usually photographed when she's confident and bubbly, but in court on Wednesday (May 11) she was like a kid getting in trouble with her teacher," Coleman previously wrote in iNews.

Wayne Rooney

"When Wayne sits next to Coleen, I have a great view of him. He's got really pretty eyes and eyelashes and he looks up at the clock every now and then.

"He's a very unique looking man," the artist added.

Of course, Coleman has seen the criticism relating to the court sketches by different artists during the trial but noted that it's just trolls that "want attention."

"You can probably pick on every drawing. I went to see a Rembrandt drawing and my friend was picking on Rembrandt."

But she also added: "It really hurts. It really crushes you. It's like being attacked, having your mind attacked.

"You can't work properly because it makes you think your work will be attacked. It slows you down, it gets you out of the workflow. It makes it difficult.

"You just really have to put it out of your mind," she explained and also noted how people have their "good and bad days" and it's "just the luck of the draw."

Today (May 19) is the final day of the Wagatha Christie trial where both sides are set to make their closing statements.

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