Sir Elton John, 62, and partner David Furnish, 48, welcomed their son Zachary Jackson Levon Furnish-John on Dec. 25, UsMagazine.com exclusively reported Monday. "For many years we have talked about fulfilling one of our greatest wishes by becoming parents," John tells Us. "And now this wish has been granted to us, we feel so blessed and lucky."
The birth marks the realization of John and Furnish's dream of becoming parents. Last fall, the couple visited an orphanage in the Ukraine and planned to adopt a 14-month-old boy named Lev and his HIV-positive brother Artyom. "David always wanted to adopt a child and I always said 'no' because I am 62 and I think because of the traveling I do and the life I have, maybe it wouldn't be fair for the child," John told reporters. "But having seen Lev today, I would love to adopt him. I don't know how we do that but he has stolen my heart. And he has stolen David's heart and it would be wonderful if we can have a home [together]".
Earlier this year, their petition to adopt was declined by the Ukranian authorities, and Furnish told the BBC that they were "massively gutted" by the rejection. Since then, Furnish and John have worked tirelessly behind the scenes through Ukranian lawyers to find Lev and Artyom a happy home.
Furnish commented: "Although Ukranian law does not permit Elton and I to adopt Lev and Artyom, we are determined to give them the best chance of living a happy and healthy life with a loving Ukranian family. The arrival of our son has done nothing but strengthen our resolve to help these two wonderful children. We are, however, constrained by Ukranian policy and legal procedure, and this is why for the past 12 months we have retained a leading Ukranian law firm to assist us in this process."
After being rejected in their adoption bid, John and Furnish decided to pursue their dream of becoming parents with the help of a surrogate. The couple have told Us that they wish to keep those details private.
Though Zachary is John and Furnish's first child, the five-time Grammy winner and his partner have already had some parenting practice: between them, they have 6 godchildren, including John Lennon's son, Sean; Elizabeth Hurley's son, Damien; and David and Victoria Beckham's sons Brooklyn and Romeo.
