Wayne Rooney jokes 'Roo the Jew?' after discovering his maternal grandmother's family were Polish Jewish
From the Newshound archive · first published 24 September 2026 · last updated 25 September 2026.
Coleen Rooney and Wayne Rooney, who admit they once went four days without speaking during a bitter falling-out, with Coleen confessing she considered separation from her "careless" husband.Coleen Rooney and Wayne Rooney with three of their sons. Wayne revealed Coleen pushed him into a nose job to fix his snoring after he broke it playing football.
Wayne Rooney has revealed he recently discovered Jewish ancestry through his maternal grandmother's family, who were Polish Jews, in episode four of the new Disney+ docuseries 'The Real Rooneys'. His great-grandmother, believed to have been surnamed Greenberg, fled Poland to Liverpool — the first time Rooney had heard the story. A producer told the Catholic-raised former England striker: "Technically, if that's true, you're actually Jewish." Rooney responded by quipping: "Roo the Jew?"
The revelation came during a family trip to Krakow and Auschwitz, which sons Kit, 10, and Cass, 8, had requested after studying the Second World War at school.
Coleen also opened up in the series, admitting she considered whether separation from Wayne was "the answer" amid ongoing rows over his late-night partying.
Coleen's mother separately revealed her daughter fell into a coma aged three with encephalitis and had to relearn to walk — inspiring the family to later adopt Coleen's late sister Rosie.
