Sir Elton John becomes father via surrogate
Sir Elton John and his partner David Furnish have become parents to a son born to a surrogate mother in California.Zachary Jackson Levon Furnish-John was born on Christmas Day, the UK musician and Canadian filmmaker told the Usmagazine.com website.
"Zachary is healthy and doing really well, and we are very proud and happy parents," said the couple.
They provided no details about the surrogacy arrangement.
"We are overwhelmed with happiness and joy at this very special moment," the couple told the website in a statement.
They said the boy weighed 7lb15oz (3.6kg).
The UK has strict regulations in place for anyone considering surrogacy, so sometimes couples consider going overseas to countries where it is easier to complete the process Barrie and Tony Drewitt-Barlow, became Britain's first gay surrogate parents in 1999.
In April 2010, changes to the law meant that for the first time in British history, two men could be named as parents on a child's birth certificate In the UK, the child's birth mother is always considered the legal parent unless this is changed by a parental order made by a court.
The US state of California is recognised as somewhere where surrogacy agreements - including those made by gay and lesbian couples - are generally accepted under law.
Other gay celebrities who have used a surrogate to have children this year include actor Neil Patrick Harris and his partner David Burtka.
A representative for the couple said they intended to protect and respect the privacy of the surrogate mother, and would not be discussing any details relating to the surrogacy arrangements - BBC News
Congratulations from everyone at PollenTree.