ibloggie

Sir Elton John and his husband David Furnish are still planning to adopt a child.

The couple, who married in a civil ceremony in 2005, failed earlier this year to become parents to 17-month-old Ukrainian boy Lev, who lives in an orphanage.

They were stopped because their civil partnership is not recognised in Ukraine and John, at 62, is too old under local law.

But now the pair have been offered a guardian role in Lev’s life – and it has made them even more determined to help change the law so they can adopt in the future.

Furnish, 47, said: “We want to support Lev and his brother and get them into a Ukrainian home and out of the orphanage. We were upset not to be allowed to adopt but we’ll fight and work with the Ukrainian government to change the law so that HIV-positive children can be adopted. We’ll be like uncles. They can visit us on holidays.”

He said he and John – who was admitted to hospital after being diagnosed with the E.coli bacterial infection and flu in September – will be taking time out at Christmas to consider their options. “That’s part of what Christmas will be about – a chance to get off the treadmill and chill out,” Furnish said. “There is a lot for us to talk about.”