COLEEN ROONEY ON FASHION, FAMILY LIFE AND THE POWER OF QUIET CONFIDENCE

“I do squats in the shower every morning.”

Coleen Rooney says this with about 85% seriousness. Almost no irony. Almost as if this is simply what one does between conditioning and towel-drying. “Even if I’m rushing about, I will find a time throughout the day where I’ve got to do them. Otherwise it plays on my mind that I haven’t done my squats. They are my non-negotiables.”

Finally, she laughs. Rooney’s laugh is loud and uproarious, the kind you don’t expect at a fashion launch. But within seconds, it explains everything. Her non-negotiables, after all, are more revealing than any headline: discipline, routine, pure determination. Coleen just gets on with it.

Rooney occupies a rare space in British culture. She fell in love with a boy at school in Croxteth, Liverpool, more than 20 years ago and later found herself at the centre of one of the most forensic social media unmaskings the country has ever witnessed. Suddenly, she became one of the most talked-about figures in Britain: the WAG, the almost-Queen of the Jungle (2024’s I’m a Celebrity… Get Me Out of Here! runner-up), the detective: Wagatha Christie.

In person, she’s warm, present and self-assured. We meet as she unveils the latest By Coleen collection for Primark, an autumn/winter edit that builds on the success of her debut range. It’s a full-circle moment, she says, having shopped there since teenage trips to Manchester and childhood visits to Penneys in Ireland. Grounded in the idea that looking good shouldn’t have to cost more, it’s a wardrobe designed to keep up with modern life, whether that’s school runs, meetings, weekends with family or dinner with friends.

“I’m constantly on the move,” she says. “School runs, gym, meetings, lunch, footie training. My day can be a number of things in one.” She moves through it all with a calm authority and steady presence that comes from having weathered storms and emerged clearer, stronger. Her clothes reflect that energy: versatile, polished, adaptable. The funnel-neck checked jacket from the Primark edit is her favourite. “I wore it yesterday with a gym outfit underneath,” she says. “Today I’ve dressed it up with little heels.”

The collection leans into easy neutrals and earthy autumnal shades of burgundy, brandy and navy. There are soft tailoring details, tactile fabrics including cotton and modal, and practical accessories such as understated east-west bags that slot effortlessly into an everyday wardrobe. New this season is a kidswear collection, inspired by her own family life, with her youngest son, Cass, joining her in the campaign. 

Her style hasn’t always been this streamlined, she tells me. She laughs about her early years in the spotlight, when experimentation was bolder and frequently immortalised in the press. “When I was younger, I experimented a lot more,” she says. “You look back and think, Why did I wear that? The yellow moon boots I wore one time always come up as something I wouldn’t wear again.” She grins. “But I don’t regret anything. It’s a story of your journey in life and where you were at that time. I was happy, and I had fun with whatever I was wearing.”

Now, her wardrobe is more neutral, more classic. “I’ve learned what suits me better, whether it’s the colour that suits my skin tone or the shape of what I’m wearing. I’m confident in what’s in my wardrobe now. I wear what I want.” A lot of people like to say they don’t give a damn, but it’s easy to believe Rooney when she says this.

What she does care about is her family and the world she has built around them. Staunchly proud of her house in Cheshire, she admits she is always cleaning and organising; she likes things “to smell nice”, later confessing that her guilty pleasure is lighting candles. “The Diptyque ones are my favourite.” Motherhood, she says, is the axis that everything else turns on. She shares four sons with Wayne Rooney – Kai, Klay, Kit and Cass – all with opinions of their own, including fashion choices.

“If I’m dressed up, they’ll say, ‘Wait, where are you going?’” she says with a laugh. “You can see they actually like what I look like, but they do say, ‘Oh, you look nice.’ Even if it might kill them to say it.” The ultimate approval, she admits, comes from her children, and as far as she’s concerned, that’s the biggest confidence and mood boost you can ask for.

Negotiations over style are ongoing between them. “It’s not always what I want them to wear now, because when they’re little, you can dress them in whatever you want. My 12-year-old likes to mix and match tracksuits,” she says. “It really bugs me, but I’ve just got to let him express himself,” she says, half amused, half resigned.

And in offering advice to them, she inevitably reflects on herself and her own journey. If she could speak to her younger self? “Just be you. That’s what I’ve learned over time. Being me has got me places. There have been times when I’ve questioned myself and thought, Should I be acting like this…? or Should I be doing this? But it’s hard to be fake. I find it really hard to put on an act,” she says resolutely. “Stay true to yourself, tell the truth, and it gets you far.”

By Coleen is available in Primark stores across 16 markets, with womenswear prices starting from £2.50/€3.50 up to £30/€34, with kidswear pieces launching in August prices starting from £7/€10. In Great Britain, customers will also be able to shop the full collection via Click & Collect.

Images: courtesy of Primark

2026-03-05T15:18:18Z