It was Valentine’s Day 1984 when Sir Elton John first wed in St Mark’s Church, Darling Point, Sydney. His marriage to German sound engineer Renate Blauel surprised and delighted his fans. Sir Elton was openly bi-sexual and their marriage lasted four years.

Seven years later, he met his future husband, David Furnish, and on the day civil partnerships were made legal in the UK in 2005, they were among the first couples to sign up. Sir Elton said he preferred a civil partnership to same-sex marriage, but changed in mind in 2012, saying: “There is a world of difference between calling someone your ‘partner’ and calling them your ‘husband’. ‘Partner’ is a word that should be preserved for people you play tennis with.”

The pair married in 2014 on the 9th anniversary of their civil partnership.

The 70-year-old singer is back touring Australia this week, with five shows in regional areas, kicking off with Mackay in Queensland tonight before performing in Wollongong, Hobart and Cairns.

Ahead of his first performance, Sir Elton had a message for the country as Australians vote in the same-sex marriage postal survey.

Writing on Facebook in favour of marriage equality, the singer said he wanted to be a good husband to Blauel, denied who he really was and cause her sadness the caused him “huge guilt and regret”.

“To be worthy of someone’s love, you have to be brave and clear eyed enough to be honest with yourself and your partner,” he wrote.

“I love Australia. I love its spirit, its lack of pretence, its passion. I hope it can embrace the honesty and courage that seeks gay marriage as an expression not of desire but of love.”

Here’s his full post:

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