The Younger Years

Coleen Mary McLoughlin was born to Tony, who was a bricklayer and ran a boxing club, and Colette, who was a nursery nurse. Coleen is one of four children. She is the oldest, followed by her brothers Joe and Anthony and then little sister Rosie, who has been diagnosed with Rett Syndrome. She met Wayne Rooney when she was 12 and when they lived in the same Liverpool suburb of Croxteth. His mother, Jeanette, worked as a part-time cleaner at St John Bosco, the Catholic school Coleen attended.

Rooney famously took McLoughlin to the cinema to see Austin Powers 2 on their first date.

McLoughlin left school with 11 GCSEs, including an A* for Performing Arts. She has long harboured dreams of becoming an actress, having starred in high school productions of Bugsy Malone and Grease.