Madonna, 58, is shooting down a new report from the Associated Press claiming she had applied to adopt two children from Malawi in Africa. The singer denies the adoption rumours in a statement to ET Canada, saying she is actually in Africa on a humanitarian trip.
“I am in Malawi to check on the children’s hospital in Blantyre and my other work with Raising Malawi, and then heading home,” she says in the statement. “The rumours of an adoption process are untrue.”
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The “Like a Virgin” singer appeared in court with tight security on Wednesday in Lilongwe, the capital of Malawi, which is what prompted speculation she was there to apply for adoption, according to AFP. Court spokesperson Mlenga Mvula said. But it turns out, this is untrue.
Madonna has previously adopted two other children from Malawi: David Banda, 11, whom she adopted in 2006 and Mercy James, 11, whom she adopted in 2009. The superstar entertainer is also mother to 20-year-old Lourdes and 16-year-old Rocco.
She has been closely tied to the African country for years, following the adoptions of David and Mercy. Madonna was stripped of V.I.P. status by former president Joyce Banda’s government in 2013, when she was accused of being “uncouth” and wanting eternal gratitude from the country.
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New president Peter Mutharika worked hard to repair the relationship between Malawi and Madonna. “My government has always been grateful for the passion Madonna has for this country,” he once said according to The Telegraph. Madonna is reportedly among the biggest individual donors to children’s projects such as orphanages in Malawi.
She had plans for a $15 million academy for girls in Malawi, which were cancelled amid allegations of mismanagement.
