Sir Elton John’s ex-wife insisted they wanted children together but were "unable" to.
Renate Blauel – who married the ‘Candle in the Wind’ hitmaker in 1984, but divorced him four years later – is seeking £3 million in damages after claiming the 73-year-old singer broke the terms of their divorce deal by revealing details about their relationship in his 2019 autobiography ‘Me’ and his biopic ‘Rocketman’.
The sound engineer only appears in eight pages of ‘Me’, always in positive terms, and court documents submitted to the High Court in London revealed the ‘I Want Love’ hitmaker had agreed to remove other passages before publication.
However, Renate argued that some of the remaining passages "seriously misrepresented the nature of their relationship", citing Elton’s claim he didn’t intend to start a family with his wife when they wed, which she insisted was untrue because they "did attempt to have children during their relationship but were unable to do so."
Renate had asked to have the passage removed before publication but her request was turned down.
The couple’s marriage is depicted in less than five minutes of ‘Rocketman’ – with Celinde Schoenmaker portraying Renate – but Elton’s ex-wife insisted she was never consulted about it and had experienced "great anxiety" since its release as a journalist had been "trying to locate her in her local village".
Renate believes the depiction of their marriage in the movie was "false and disrespectful".
Her lawyer, Yisrael Hiller, told the BBC: "Renate is particularly upset by the film.
"In her mind, the film seeks to portray their marriage as a sham, which she wholeheartedly disputes and considers a false and disrespectful portrayal of their time together.
"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."
While Renate’s court filing doesn’t suggest a damages figure, the £3 million is referred to in Elton’s response as a figure that had previously been disclosed in previous correspondence.
The ‘Goodbye Yellow Brick Road’ singer – who has two sons with husband David Furnish – is said to be "shocked and saddened" by the legal row.
A source said: "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."