Sir Elton John and his ex-wife Renate Blauel have resolved a reported £3m legal dispute over an agreement not to talk about their marriage publicly.
Ms Blauel started proceedings against the star in the summer, accusing him of “repeated and flagrant” breaches of the agreement in his memoir Me and the biopic Rocketman, both released in 2019.
Sir Elton broke an agreement the pair made when they divorced after four years of marriage in 1988, and had caused her to suffer mental health problems, she claimed.
The couple’s marriage was depicted in the biopic Rocketman, released in 2019
She initially asked for an injunction to prevent future public disclosures as well as damages and costs said to be around £3m.
Announcing they had resolved the dispute, a spokesman for Sir Elton said: “The parties are happy to announce that they have resolved this case, in a way that acknowledges Renate’s need for privacy.
“For her part, Renate acknowledges that Elton has acted in a dignified and respectful way towards her in the last 30 years and has been always happy to help her.
“They will not be discussing each other, or their marriage, in future and will be making no further comment about the case.”
In papers filed to the High Court in the summer, Ms Blauel’s legal team said she had changed her name and appearance in an attempt to “shed her identity” and keep out of the public eye.
At the time of the couple’s split, the pair had signed a contract which included a clause preventing either of them from discussing their marriage or the reasons for their separation.
Sir Elton has been married to David Furnish since 2014
In papers filed in his defence, the singer’s legal team denied breaching the agreement, arguing the details in the book and film are public knowledge and that the contract “applies only to private and confidential matters”.
Ms Blauel, a sound engineer, referenced five scenes from Rocketman in the claim, including scenes showing their wedding day and the pair sleeping in separate bedrooms.
Another scene depicts Sir Elton, who is now married to filmmaker David Furnish, in a group therapy session discussing the failure of his marriage “on account of his unhappiness and in particular his sexuality,” the claim said.
Sir Elton’s team had said the wedding, which was attended by several celebrities, was widely covered at the time and was a matter of public record.