WAGs can help England win the World Cup: Rebekah Vardy says the Three Lions' success is down to time with loved ones
- Rebekah Vardy's husband could fire England into the World Cup quarter-finals
- She has been doing numerous media interviews while in Russia with her family
Flying the flag: England striker Jamie Vardy's wife Rebekah
Her sharp-shooting husband could fire England into the World Cup quarter-finals tonight.
But as the nation holds its breath, striker Jamie Vardy's wife Rebekah is commanding much of the limelight.
The 36-year-old reality TV star has been doing media interviews almost daily while in Russia with her family.
She has also been sharing pictures online of her time with other WAGs, boarding private jets and going on extravagant shopping trips, as well as the inevitable glamorous matchday selfies.
Estimates suggest 20million people will watch the game on TV in Britain tonight and 36million pints of beer are expected to be drunk across the country today – 17million in pubs and 19million at home.
The British Beer and Pub Association also predicted £25million would be spent on food in pubs today and £30million on meals eaten at home.
Meanwhile, the National Grid expects electricity demand to spike by 700 megawatts at half-time – equivalent to 27million fridge doors opening at the same time as fans grab another beer.
The grid's director of system operations Duncan Burt said: 'We'll balance supply and demand second by second in real time.'
Rebekah Vardy (pictured at England's game against Belgium, left, and on social media, right) has been doing media interviews almost daily while in Russia with her family and sharing pictures online
England face Colombia at 7pm in the 45,000-seater Spartak Stadium in Moscow, with around 4,000 of their fans thought to have travelled to Russia.
Mrs Vardy will be there too of course, cheering the team on.
She claimed yesterday the national side had prospered thanks to the presence of their loved ones.
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She said coach Gareth Southgate has helped get the most out of the players by allowing them time alone with their families and friends, unlike during previous tournaments.
She told The Sun: 'He's got the right idea of the team mentality. He's really relaxed with the players and he makes an effort with all of the families.
'He really encourages family days after games, which relaxes the players – it brings a bit of normality in'.
Rekebekah Vardy's sharp-shooting husband (right) could fire England into the World Cup quarter-finals tonight
The other WAGs have kept comparatively low profiles during England's campaign but, keen to stay in the spotlight yesterday, Mrs Vardy embarked on another string of interviews.
Speaking to Good Morning Britain from her hotel room in St Petersburg, she denied rumours that players had been banned from sex during the tournament, saying: 'Not that I know of, no. Bit ridiculous, isn't it, really.'
But the mother of four, who regularly wears her husband's number 11 shirt to matches, admitted it can be difficult to have time alone with him.
'It's a logistical nightmare when you've got children out here but I can't speak for everyone, so who knows.'
But can she cheer louder than the other side's other halves?
They'll both be cheering on Colombia – but these South American players' WAGs could hardly be more different.
Helga Lovekaty, 26, is the girlfriend of Real Madrid star James Rodriguez, who is said to be 'distracted' of late. Now we know why.
The Russian describes herself as a model and actress, although she appears to have only been in one film – 2015 thriller Hardcore Henry, for which she is credited as 'angry prostitute'.
Chalk and cheese: Model Helga Lovekaty (left) and portrait artist Noelia Polvoria (right)
Miss Lovekaty also doesn't appear to own any clothes if her Instagram page is anything to go by. She posts endless photos to keep her four million followers amused – all in her underwear or bikini.
In stark contrast, the wife of midfielder Carlos Sanchez is one of the most cultured WAGs at the World Cup.
Noelia Polvoria, 32, hails from Uruguay but is a respected artist in Colombia. The fine arts graduate makes ceramic vases but her specialism is portraits in oil, watercolour and charcoal.
The mother of two's husband describes her as 'the Queen of my life'.
Addressing England's chances of winning the World Cup, she said: 'England are the underdogs so far… so fingers crossed, we could be experiencing something historical.
'We watched both of the games yesterday and it was really nerve-racking. For us fans and for families and friends [a penalty shootout] would probably be the most nerve-racking thing. For the players, I think it's all in a day's work. They're cool, calm and collected and they know what they've got to do.'
She revealed she will not be wearing her 'unlucky J' necklace at tonight's game, as she believes it may have contributed to England's 1-0 defeat by Belgium last week.
She said: 'This is going to sound crazy, but in the Euros, when we lost to Iceland, I had on my necklace which has a J. I also wore that against Belgium, so it's not coming out again.
'At first I thought, 'Don't be so ridiculous!' But maybe…'
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