Sir Elton John and his ex-wife Renate Blauel are settling their lawsuit out of court

But according to The Sun newspaper, new court papers show the former couple - who divorced shortly before Elton came out as gay in 1988 - have agreed to try and settle the case in private.

The publication reports Elton and Renate’s lawyers have until October 13 to reach a deal and avoid taking the lawsuit to court, and if they are successful in settling things outside of the courtroom, it is likely no further details will be revealed in public.

Renate sought to sue Elton for £3 million back in July, when she alleged Elton's comments about her in his 2019 memoir, ‘Me’, broke the terms of an agreement they made after their split and triggered long-standing mental health issues.

The court documents also alleged Renate had been suffering from “recurring nightmares, agoraphobia, fear, depression, and anxiety” following the release of Elton’s biopic, ‘Rocket Man’, in which their marriage was featured.

A source said at the time: "Elton is shocked and saddened by Renate's claim, especially as he has only ever praised her publicly.

"He has always had a very pleasant relationship with Renate, respects her enormously and would never have said anything revealing about their marriage.

"He very much hopes she will see sense and drop this case.”

Following his divorce from Renate, Elton went on to enjoy a romance with David Furnish, whom he had a civil partnership ceremony with in 2005, before they tied the knot in December 2014.

The ‘Tiny Dancer’ singer - who has Zachary, nine, and Elijah, seven, with David - also previously expressed his regret at causing "sadness" to Renee.

He once 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.

"To be worthy of someone's love, you have to be brave enough and clear eyed enough to be honest with yourself and your partner."