Sir Elton John's ex-wife claims she attempted to take her own life during the couple's honeymoon.
Sir Elton John and Renate Blauel
Renate Blauel has claimed in legal papers filed at the High Court in London that she took an overdose of Valium in St Tropez in 1984, after the music icon told her their marriage "was not working and that he wanted her to leave".
Blauel's accusation emerged as part of a £3 million damages claim made against Elton, who has been accused of breaking the terms of their divorce agreement.
The sound engineer - who was married to the music star between 1984 and 1988 - decided to file legal papers earlier this year in response to the depiction of their relationship in his autobiography 'Me' and the movie 'Rocketman'.
Blauel's lawyer, Adam Wolanski, claims the book and the film triggered her mental health problems.
He insisted Elton was aware of his client's issues with "depression and anxiety", adding that her situation was exacerbated by "publicity relating to her".
In addition to the overdose in 1984, Wolanski cited Blauel suffering a panic attack "in or about 1985" as proof of her mental health issues.
The then-couple hosted a lunch for members of the Royal family when the incident occurred, according to Blauel.
The court papers read: "During this visit, Princess Margaret asked the claimant about a painting belonging to the defendant.
"The claimant was unable to recall any details about the painting and this caused her to panic and become very anxious.
"She interrupted the defendant's conversation with the Queen Mother to ask for assistance before removing herself to another room.
"Although she did not explain to the defendant why she had done this, it must have been obvious to him that she had absented herself because of her anxiety."
Elton's defence has acknowledged the existence of a divorce agreement, but denied he's broken their pact or causing "psychological harm" to his ex-wife.
Jenny Afia, Elton's legal counsel, said: "Elton has always respected Renate's privacy and will continue to do so.
"It is well documented that their marriage was completely respectful and the relationship both Elton and Renate had after they divorced continued to be kind, respectful and honourable for the 30 years following."
She also questioned why Blauel was filing her claims in the public domain when her case is based on the issue of privacy.
Afia added: "This only goes to show the true purpose of this claim which is to extract a large sum of money from Elton and tarnish his name publicly with falsehoods."
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