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Sir Elton John denies breaching ex-wife’s privacy agreement in £3million claim


Sir Elton John denies breaching ex-wife’s privacy agreement in £3million claim (Picture: Getty)

Sir Elton John has denied breaching a privacy agreement he had signed with his ex-wife, after she has accused him of doing so in a £3million claim.

The music legend, 73, has responded to his ex-wife Renate Blauel’s claims that he has breached an agreement they made, after their divorce in 1988, following four years of marriage.

Said agreement prevents the former couple from discussing their marriage or the reasons for their separation.

Blauel claims Elton has gone against the agreement in passages of his best-selling memoir Me and in his biopic Rocketman, which were both released last year.

The singer’s former wife claims their marriage has become ‘the subject of widespread press scrutiny and discussion’ going against her ‘right to privacy’.

Blauel, who says she has tried to ‘shed her identity’ by stepping out of the public eye and changing her name and appearance, is asking for an injunction – to prevent future public disclosures – along with damages and costs reportedly totalling £3million.

Blauel claims Elton has gone against the agreement in passages of his best-selling memoir Me and in his biopic Rocketman, which were both released last year (Picture: AFP)

Elton, meanwhile, denies breaching the agreement and arguing that the details shared in his book and in the movie are public knowledge. He claims the agreement only ‘applies to private and confidential’ matters.

Blauel references five scenes from Rocketman in her claim, including the pair’s wedding day and scenes showing the couple sleeping in separate bedrooms.

Another scene referred to is of Elton in a group therapy session discussing the breakdown of his marriage and his sexuality.

Elton argues that his ex-wife’s claim does not argue it was a breach of their agreement for him to come out as gay, adding his sexuality as a reason for the pair’s separation is no longer private and would be understood by the audience.

‘The fact that the defendant is gay is now very widely known; it may be one of the most widely-known facts in the world of entertainment,’ his defence reads.

Elton married Blauel in 1984 before divorcing four years later in 1988 (Picture: Getty)

Ms Blauel also referenced passages of Sir Elton’s memoir Me, which contained details of Sir Elton’s decision to propose, the couple’s wedding, as well as the reception and references to their divorce, which she claims broke the terms of the agreement and triggered existing mental health problems.

Elton argues that both his wedding, which was attending by a whole host of celebrities, and his divorce were both subject to widespread coverage and a matter of public record.

His legal team claim the Crocodile Rock hit-maker was unaware of any mental health issues his ex-wife had.

‘Elton is shocked and saddened by Renate’s claim after 30 years of a mutually amicable and respectful divorce, especially as he has only ever praised her publicly,’ a source close to Elton told PA.

Blauel had tried to secure the removal of passages from Elton’s memoir after learning he was writing an autobiography, a spokesperson for Blauel’s legal team at Asserson Law told Metro.co.uk.

Elton is now married to David Furnish and they share two sons (Picture: Getty)

They claim Elton ‘never asked permission’ to feature Blauel in the film Rocketman, adding: ‘In 1988 Elton agreed to respect her privacy but has since repeatedly ignored this promise; the lawsuit only deals with his breaches over the recent past but there have been many other breaches.

‘All of these breaches have caused her tremendous harm, suffering and damage and she has had enough. Renate wants the privacy that was promised to her – that is why she is seeking an injunction.  Any claim for monetary relief is secondary, and would just cover damages and future expenses caused by Elton’s breaches.’

Elton had revealed he was bisexual in an interview with Rolling Stone in 1976, meeting Blauel seven years later. After 18 months of knowing each other, the Tiny Dancer singer proposed, and he and Renate tied the knot a week later in Darling Point, New South Wales in Australia.

Four years on, they broke up, with Blauel reportedly getting between £5million and £10million in the divorce deal.

Elton went on to meet David Furnish in 1993 and the pair formed a civil partnership in 2005. They share two children; sons Zachary, nine, and Elijah, seven.

Metro.co.uk has reached out to Elton’s reps.

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