The Unexpected Triumph: Vardy's Series Secures Top Viewership
Vardy's Clear Victory in the Ratings Arena
Rebekah Vardy has emerged as the frontrunner in the highly competitive realm of WAG-focused television, with her three-part ITV series, 'At Home With The Vardys,' attracting a substantial 833,000 households within its first week of availability. This impressive figure positions her documentary well ahead of comparable programs featuring other prominent football wives.
The Rooney and Owen Series Lag Behind
In contrast, Coleen Rooney's Disney+ production, 'The Real Rooneys,' which debuted last month, managed to accumulate 230,000 viewers over the same seven-day period. Similarly, 'Meet The Owens,' the Prime Video show starring former England player Michael Owen and his wife Louise, recorded 245,000 streams. These statistics, compiled by BARB, reflect viewership on traditional television sets, excluding digital device streams.
Initial Reception and Critical Analysis of Vardy's Show
Despite its ultimate ratings success, Vardy's documentary initially premiered to a modest audience of 670,000. Critics were largely unenthusiastic, with many describing the series as "uninteresting and dull," and reviews generally awarding it a disappointing two out of five stars. The program chronicled Rebekah and her husband Jamie, a former England and Premier League star, as they transitioned their family to Italy following Jamie's transfer to Serie A side Cremonese, detailing their journey after he left Leicester City and faced the latter stages of his career without a club.
Future Prospects and Rooney's Critical Reception
When questioned about a potential second season, Becky hinted at the possibility with a playful "haha maybe" accompanied by a side-eye emoji. Meanwhile, Coleen Rooney's reality show, which provided an intimate look into her family life with husband Wayne and their four sons, received a mixed critical response. Christopher Stevens of The Daily Mail delivered a particularly harsh one-star review, criticizing the show for what he perceived as a dishonest portrayal, especially its omission of Wayne's past infidelity allegations and struggles with alcohol. He further chastised the series for depicting the Rooneys as "vacuous, self-obsessed, intellectually numb, absurdly insulated from reality and just spectacularly tacky."
Rebekah Vardy's Perspective on Life as a Footballer's Wife
Rebekah Vardy has voiced her opinion on the unique pressures faced by footballers' wives, emphasizing the lack of public understanding regarding their experiences. She noted that the constant, often last-minute, international relocations are particularly challenging, especially with a young family. Vardy also expressed frustration over the common stereotypes associated with WAGs, lamenting that they are frequently presumed to be "shallow, obsessed, materialistic and not particularly intelligent." She articulated the difficulty of being expected to endure public criticism and the notion that wealth negates one's right to emotional distress, concluding that she no longer feels compelled to appease public opinion.
