A few weeks ago, Elton John‘s ex wife Renate Blauel sued the legendary musician.  At the time, the details of the case weren’t made public, but now we know why she’s upset with her former husband.

According to the BBC, Blauel — whom Elton married in 1984 and divorced in 1988 — is seeking just under four million bucks in damages because she claims Elton broke the terms of their divorce agreement by writing about their relationship in his autobiography, Me, and portraying their marriage in the biopic Rocketman.

After Elton and Renate split — because Elton, who’s gay, realized he’d been living a lie — he agreed not to disclose details of their relationship.  Renate now claims that what he wrote about her in the book and how she was portrayed in the movie have “triggered long-standing mental health problems,” and has also caused journalists to pursue her.

Her lawyer 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.” 

Elton’s lawyer, meanwhile, denies the claims.  In fact, Elton reportedly agreed to remove some passages from the book before it was published, leaving only positive mentions of Blauel on a total eight pages.  He’s also often expressed regret at causing her any pain.

Even so, Renate apparently has a problem with some of the stuff Elton left in the book which, she says, “seriously misrepresented the nature of their relationship.”  For example, he writes that when they married, he didn’t intend to have children — but she claims they did and tried, but were unable to do so.

A source tells the BBC that Elton is “shocked and saddened” by Renate’s claim.

By Andrea Dresdale
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