The Elton John biopic Rocketman lays bare the moment when the gay star married a woman. He had already been engaged before, but even at that time, there were already a lot of rumours about his sexuality. The Pop icon has been married to husband David Furnish since 2014 (they met in 1993) but says he still “loves and respects” ex-wife Renate and feels great guilt over their releatonship. What happened and where is she now?

The film shows the tormented singer seeking solace in the arms of Renate, after years of drink and drugs combined with the damage caused by his cold parents and abusive gay relationship with manager John Reid.

Elton said of the film: “I didn’t want to cover it and gloss it over. And it’s difficult to watch because I thought, ‘God, I don’t want to go back there. Thank god I came out of it.'”

He proposed to Renate on February 10, 1984, during the Australian leg of his latest tour, and they were married just four days later on St Valentine’s Day.

The movie shows the clear affection between them but also pointedly reveals they had separate bedrooms. There was public speculation in the press at the time that the marriage was a sham to cover up Elton’s sexuality.

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Elton said: “Many years ago, I chose Australia for my wedding to a wonderful woman for whom I have so much love and admiration. I wanted more than anything to be a good husband, but I denied who I really was, which caused my wife sadness, and caused me huge guilt and regret.”

After teh divorce, Elton bought her a large house in the Home Counties and she lived there quietly for many years, continuing to work in music production.

She later moved back to Germany to care for her parents and has successfully remained out of the public eye ever since.