Wayne Rooney praises Coleen for supporting him through alcohol and infidelity scandals

'It's been tough, of course there's been moments where it's been tough'

The former England star spoke to ITV's Good Morning Britain ahead of a new Amazon Prime documentary about his life.

"When I was younger, there were moments where you were drinking constantly. I'd go home and drink for two days straight, just on my own," the 36-year-old said.

“That might be on a Sunday and Monday, then on a Tuesday I was waking up on the rough, putting eye drops in, chewing gum, mouthwash, going into training."

In 2018, Rooney was ordered to complete 100 hours of unpaid community work after admitting being nearly three times the legal drink drive limit while at the wheel of another woman’s car following a night out.

'You make mistakes and I clearly have. But she was the one who stopped me going to the next level'

During troublesome times like this, Rooney says his wife Coleen helped him immeasurably.

"The support I've had from Coleen has been immense. There's times where I think, 'do I deserve that support?' and you probably don't," he said.

"Everybody was judging Coleen for her decisions - does she stay with me, or does she leave me? I know that was difficult for her."

Coleen met Rooney when she was 12, as the couple went to the same school. They began dating when they both turned 16 and have four sons together – Kai Wayne, Klay Anthony, Kit Joseph and Cass Mac.

Rooney said he felt it was "the right time" for the eponymous Amazon Prime documentary "to get some closure to the last 20 years".

When asked by ITV News about the ongoing libel case against his wife Coleen, brought by Rebekah Vardy after Mrs Rooney - dubbed "Wagatha Christie" - claimed Mrs Vardy had shared fake stories she posted on her personal Instagram account with The Sun newspaper, the Derby Country manager did not comment specifically on it.

"I think that's an ongoing court case so I don’t think I can tell you and, to be honest, there’s not much I can tell you on that," the former England international said.

Unscripted - Listen to the latest episode

Rooney continued: "I know from my own personal point of view throughout the last 20 years, with everything we've had to deal with, it's been tough.

"Of course there's been moments where it's been tough for me personally, it's been tough as a family, but we've stuck together...we're working very hard to make sure our children have the best life they can have."

Asked how Coleen was after the last few days, after the start of a preliminary hearing at the High Court.

Rooney said: "Fine, as I say we are enjoying our time together, we’re bringing our kids up and that’s our focus."

The former Manchester United star was speaking at the premiere of the eagerly-anticipated Amazon Prime Video documentary about his life.

"Of course I've made mistakes, that's well documented," he said, adding "a lot of people have judged me purely on what they've seen in those moments, rather than actually judging me as a person".

Rooney launches on Friday, February 11 on Amazon Prime Video.