England soccer star Wayne Rooney has begged his wife, Coleen, for forgiveness after news broke at the weekend that he paid a R13000-a-night prostitute for three-in-a-bed romps while his wife was pregnant.

Coleen has fled "Rooney Towers" - the mansion he built for her with its own spray-tan booth - and moved back to her parents' home in Liverpool with their 10-month-old son, Kai.

Rooney reportedly first warned his wife about the story of his trysts with prostitute Jenny Thompson, known as Juci Jeni, by SMS, a day before the stories were published.

The couple, both 24, have been married for two years. They were childhood sweethearts and started dating when they were 12.

News of how he paid a 55-year-old prostitute - a grandmother nicknamed Auld Slapper - for sex when he was 16 failed to split them.

But friends say a multimillion-pound divorce case is on the cards.

"She's worried that this could be just the tip of the iceberg - and that more escort girls will come forward," a friend said.

The Sun reported that Rooney was in tears on Sunday night, begging Coleen in a series of phone calls and promising to get "help" for his "fixation with prostitutes".

He reportedly told friends: " I will do anything to make my marriage work - and I mean anything."

Even his family is publicly berating him. His cousin, Natalie, 21, tweeted: "You're an utter disgrace to the family . Coleen was five months' pregnant. It's disgusting."

On Sunday, Rooney was in a hotel with the England squad before playing a Euro 2012 qualifier against Switzerland. Coach Fabio Capello is worried about how he'll play.

Thompson told the News Of The World tabloid that she had regular sex with Rooney between June and September last year after meeting him at a casino in Manchester.