Elton John’s ex-wife demands millions over film and memoir
Sir Elton John's ex-wife, Renate Blauel, is seeking an estimate of £3m in damages after claiming the legendary singer broke the terms of their divorce deal.
The sound engineer was wed to Sir Elton for four years and is suing her ex-husband over passages in his memoir Me, and his film centering around his life, Rocketman.
Ms Blauel says both of Elton’s works revealed details of the marriage, breaking an agreement they made when they divorced in 1988.
She says those disclosures triggered long-standing mental health problems.
However Sir Elton's defence has hit back, saying they acknowledge the existence of the divorce agreement that the pair both signed, but deny any breaches or causing "psychological harm".l
Sir Elton previously agreed to remove certain passages from his autobiography before it was published last year, according to papers filed at the High Court in London.
In the final draft, Ms Blauel only appears on eight pages.
Sir Elton describes her in positive terms throughout the book, calling her "dignified", "decent" and "someone I couldn't fault in any way".
However, Ms Blauel says some of the remaining passages "seriously misrepresented the nature of their relationship".
Sir Elton claimed in his book that he did not enter their marriage with the intention of starting a family.
Ms Blauel denies this saying they both "did attempt to have children during their relationship but were unable to do so".
A request to have this passage removed was rejected, according to court documents.
Ms Blauel also claimed not to have been consulted about her appearance in Rocketman, although her character, played by Celinde Schoenmaker took up less than five minutes of screentime.
Ms Blauel also said that she had felt “great anxiety” after the release of the movie resulted in a journalist attempting to “locate her in her local village.”
Her lawyer, Yisrael Hiller, told the BBC that Sir Elton had "ignored" his promise to keep the details of their marriage private.
"Renate is particularly upset by the film," he said.
"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."
Elton and Miss Blauel met in 1983, after Sir Elton recorded his comeback album Two Low For Zero at London's Air Studios.
Ms Blauel worked as an engineer.
The couple married the following year in Australia, and Ms Blauel told United Press International at the time: "He's the nicest guy I've ever met".
However, the pair divorced four years later.
Sir Elton, who had told Rolling Stone magazine in 1976 that he was bisexual, went on to admit to the publication that he was "quite comfortable being gay".
The star went on to marry filmmaker David Furnish in 2005, and the couple have two children.
Ms Blauel has maintained a low profile since the divorce, however Sir Elton has previously spoken of his "huge guilt and regret" over the pain he caused her.