Elton John’s ex-wife attempted suicide during their 1984 honeymoon in St. Tropez, it has been alleged.
In documents filed in a London court, Renate Blauel said she took an overdose of Valium after the singer told her “the marriage was not working and that he wanted her to leave” three days into the trip.
The following year, Blauel suffered a panic attack while the couple had lunch with members of the Royal family.
“During this visit, Princess Margaret asked [Blauel] about a painting belonging to the defendant,” the filing reads. “[Blauel] was unable to recall any details about the painting and this caused her to panic and become very anxious.
“She interrupted [John]’s conversation with the Queen Mother to ask for assistance before removing herself to another room. Although she did not explain to [John] why she had done this, it must have been obvious to him that she had absented herself because of her anxiety.”
The suicide attempt and panic attacks were cited as evidence that John knew about his ex-wife’s anxiety when he wrote about their marriage in his 2019 memoir Me. Blauel is suing John over his recollections, claiming he not only violated the terms of their divorce agreement but triggered long-standing mental health problems.
Blauel claims she has had to spend thousands of dollars on therapy and treatment since John’s autobiography was published.
John’s lawyers have denied breaching the conditions of the couple's divorce or causing Blauel any “psychological harm.” In a statement, a rep for the singer said John “has always respected Renate’s privacy and will continue to do so” – and said her legal action is intended to “extract a large sum of money from Elton and tarnish his name publicly with falsehoods.”
John started a relationship with Toronto native David Furnish in 1993 and the pair were married in 2014. They have two sons.