Elton bride’s ‘overdose on honeymoon’
Ex sues singer over ‘privacy breach’
ELTON John’s wife Renate Blauel tried to kill herself after he told her their marriage wasn’t working during their honeymoon, according to court papers.
Ms Blauel, who was wed to Sir Elton from 1984-88, says she took an overdose three days into their trip in St Tropez after the star allegedly told her he wanted her to go back home.
She claims that Sir Elton, 73 – who she wed less than six months earlier – did not visit her in hospital, and sent a member of staff to collect her and take her straight to the airport.
The claims emerged yesterday in documents filed by Ms Blauel. She is bringing a multimillion pound damages claim against Sir Elton over his public discussion of their marriage in his 2019 book, Me, Elton John, and the Rocketman film of the same year.
Ms Blauel claims Sir Elton should have known she could suffer psychiatric harm, due to her previous mental health issues.
Sir Elton, in his defence to her claim, denies knowing she was susceptible to mental health problems and claims nothing he has said was in breach of the agreement not to discuss their marriage in public. But in filings at the High Court, Ms Blauel’s barrister Adam Wolanski QC says Sir Elton knew of her “depression and anxiety”. He said: “The defendant knew the claimant had attempted suicide. Three days into the honeymoon, the defendant told the claimant the marriage was not working. The claimant was extremely upset. She [took] an overdose.” Mr Wolanski also said Sir Elton saw Ms Blauel have an anxiety attack at a lunch they hosted for the Royal Family. Sir Elton’s counsel, Jenny Afia, said: “Elton has always respected Renate’s privacy. Their marriage was completely respectful. This claim is centred around privacy [but] Renate has chosen to file these claims in the public domain. “The true purpose is to extract a large sum of money from Elton.”