Baby gives celebrity couple dream family

Sir Elton John and David Furnish are a rare thing for a celebrity couple: They have been together for almost two decades and still appear to enjoy a solid union.

And the strength of their relationship, 17 years after they got together, was confirmed by their decision to have a baby.

The pair first met in 1993 when a mutual friend invited Canadian film producer Furnish to dinner with the rock legend.

Busy schedules forced the men to spend long periods apart, but on December 21, 2005, they tied the knot in a civil partnership ceremony at the Windsor Guildhall.

A galaxy of stars joined the celebrations, including Victoria Beckham, Helena Bonham Carter and Sir Michael Caine.

The guest list was not surprising for a man who has lived in the limelight for some four decades, forging friendships with countless famous names over the years.

Born Reginald Dwight in Pinner, northwest London, the pianist, song-writer and vocalist changed his name to the more glamorous-sounding Elton John and hit the big-time with his self-titled breakthrough album in 1970.

His first marriage was to a woman – German music engineer Renate Blauel.

The pair tied the knot in February 1984, but only for the marriage to be dissolved in November 1988, with Sir Elton unable to deny his true sexuality. With Furnish by his side, he has hosted star-studded bashes and raised huge sums for his AIDS Foundation.

In October the A-listers were out in force for his Grey Goose Character & Cocktails Elton John Aids Foundation winter ball. But the veteran rocker announced recently that his days of writing hit songs were over.

The man behind chart smashes like Rocket Man, Your Song and Candle in the Wind said in an interview with GQ magazine that at 63 he was too old to compete with some of today’s stars.

He might well have had the pending arrival of his baby son in mind too.

He and Mr Furnish had already made their desire to become fathers public, announcing last autumn that they hoped to adopt a 14-month-old boy from an orphanage in Ukraine.

But they were reportedly thwarted by the country’s laws.

With the birth of baby Zachary, they now have the family they dreamed of.