After rumors floated around for the last few years that Madonna is trying to adopt another child, it appears that it could be coming true. The Sun – which has had a lot of Madonna exclusives that have turned out to be correct – claims that Madonna and husband Guy Ritchie have resumed their attempts to adopt three-year-old Mercy James from Malawi.
Malawi has an incredibly challenging adoption process for foreigners, and according to The Sun that stress contributed to Madonna’s marital troubles, which is why she and Guy originally stopped working towards the adoption four months ago.
But officials yesterday confirmed the star has resumed her adoption bid — which pals say proves their marriage is back on track. Malawian adoption minister Penstone Kilembe said: “Madonna’s representatives have been visiting the girl. The adoption is now advanced — all the government is waiting for is Madonna to forward the petition of adoption formalities. Then Mercy will be able to leave the country for a new life.”
Pals of Madonna, who turns 50 on Saturday, say she is keen to have a sister for her adopted Malawian son David Banda, three — and feels her marriage is again strong enough to cope. A close family friend revealed: “The adoption process in Malawi is so long and stressful that all the legal wrangling put a huge strain on their marriage. They dropped proceedings to pour all their energies into each other. But Madonna now feels they are stable enough to press ahead with the adoption again.”
The friend said Madge “fell in love” with Mercy when they met at her orphanage last year. However, the girl’s gran Lucy Chekechiwa, 60, said she has been asked repeatedly by officials if Mercy could be adopted by an “unidentified foreign family” — but was firmly against it.
Speaking from her village in Zomba District, Lucy said: “… Twice I have told the adoption people that I do not want Mercy to go outside the country. But they keep on at us. Now they say that Mercy will be leaving us, but can return at age 18. Yet I might not be alive then.”
[From The Sun]
The Sun says that Madonna’s last attempt at adopting Mercy was halted when her uncle blocked their adoption application.
Nearly two years ago Madonna tried to adopt another Malawian girl named Jessica Kondanani. That didn’t end up happening, but Madge has basically “cut in line” in front of other people that were following all of Malawi’s strict adoption rules and were trying to give homes to kids she’s wanted. Mercy’s grandmother not wanting her to leave the country probably won’t be enough to stop Madonna. Though I really doubt her marriage is in such a solid state that she should be adding to her family.
Here’s Madonna braving a New York City downpour to get to the Kabbalah Center on August 2nd. Images thanks to Fame.
Those cheekbone implants are working a treat. Looks great for her age.
I wish she would get off the trendy adoption track. She is an angelina wanna-be.
I see that her mouth is gaping in most of these photos, is she a mouth breather? She looks haggard to me.
Sounds like the blood relatives don’t want this adoption to happen. What are the laws in Malawi? Does she need to married to adopt there? Might explain the reconciliation with Guy.
Work on the relationship with your hubby first Vadge, before starting another.
Also the natural next question is: ‘What’s if Worth?’
Wow, she looks HORRIBLE!!!
Now wait a minute. She’s an orphan, yet there are relatives? She’s in an orphanage and not living with these relatives? Is this some sort of odd welfare benefit in that country that the children live in orphanages yet relatives still can dictate what happens to the child?
This just really sort of outrages me.
First off, I don’t feel like someone with marriage problems should be adding more kids to the mix. Babies do not cure marriage problems.
And then, who does she think she is? She falls in love with a little girl, so she can take the little girl out of the country, away from her kinfolk, ahead of anyone else who’s standing in line to adopt, just because she’s Madonna? She took David in the same way. Now she wants a sister for David. Well, David has a sister, Lourdes. Lots of people don’t have perfect two boy-two girl families.
And she is also too damn old for this. At 50 you need to start appreciating grandkids, not be adopting more of your own. Mercy is 3 – when she’s 18, Madonna will be 65. Just a little bit of a generation gap.
Falling in love with a child doesn’t mean you have to possess that child. I see kids every day that I think are adorable, but I think I’ll let them stay with their families and not use my wealth and influence to grab them away.
You have wealth and influence Syko? 😮
😉
God she looks ill in them photos though.
Agree with Syko. Also, Malawi doesn’t have formal adoption procedures, right? You basically have to move to Malawi, buy a home, renounce citizenship, THEN wait two years for a kid. And when I say “you” I mean everybody but Madonna.
Madonna’s got issues, but the government of Malawi has issues too.
Just realized I should have said either that this enrages me or that I am outraged. I’m turning into a Florida cracker here, it was inevitable. I can’t even speak correctly any more.
No, got no wealth, got no influence, losin’ my looks, reached my sexpiration date, goin’ to hell in a handbasket.
I think I just wrote a new country song!
@ syko, LMFAO!
“Florida Cracker” LOL!
I completely agree that she should be working on a marriage then a child because you don’t want to bring a child into a broken marriage.
I also think its wrong to adopt a child when you are pushing age 50, and in a very unstable marriage situation. That is not fair to the child.
Syko – offer the exclusive rights to your song to Jessica Simpson.
syco, get off your high horse. i’m sure that you make all the right decisions in life and you know exactly what it’s like to be Madonna. i’m sure you know for a fact that she’s had marital problems even though both people in said marriage have denied the rumors and the rumors came from the same tabloids we laugh at for being obviously full of lies. i’m sure 50 is too old to have more kids, especially because Madonna has no money to pass down to those kids even after she’s gone. give me a frickin break. why is everyone so worried about how many kids she has. if the family of this little girl are letting her live in an orphanage then who are we to say that living with Madonna and her family wouldn’t be the best thing for this little one? David looks healthy and happy and so do all of her other children, so who are we to judge her for wanting more.
I agree with Syko.
Its a well known fact that Madonna is an aging rock star in a very unstable marriage.
Children are not toys to be collected by the rich and famous. They are human beings who need the best home possible.
I’m not on any high horse, V. I’m stating my opinion like everyone else here does. She may have money to pass down to the child, but money doesn’t make up for the fact that the child has old parents. And being Madonna doesn’t mean she can go into other countries and steal their children.
Also, V, if you address me, please spell my name right.
Right on, Syko. This is getting ridiculous. And as an African, I’m sick of these folk sweeping in and “adopting” the children (oh so lovable when they’re small) rather than addressing the inequities that leave people in abject poverty. Who ever said that money and fame is better than reasonably well adjusted kin who care for you, speak your language, can share the culture with you? 😕
V; Sounds like you didn’t read the article and instead, just jumped down to comment. Go back and sit at the kiddie table.
Madonna is my age and she is too old. Syko is right.
Vadge should be rocking in a chair instead of on a stage.
My God, has Madonna ever done anything original?
no one ever had such harsh words for susan sarandon and tim robbins when they had babies in their 50’s. madonna will be 65 when the kid turns into an adult, so what’s the big deal? it’s not like she’s a low energy person or some old bag, she’s got plenty of time for being a good parent. and even if her marriage with guy fell apart, she was a mom before she married him and was a ok without a man. angelina jolie adopted during the end of her marriage to billy bob and maddox seems fine to me.
This story has been totally denied by madonna’s press agent who says it’s an old rumor, has been around before, and it’s still not true. Madonna is going on tour in a week and a half and is not adopting any baby.
Susan Sarandon was born in 1946, Tim Robbins in 1958. Therefore, when they got together in 1988, she was 42 and he was 30. Their children were born in 1989 and 1992, when they were 43/31 and 46/34. They were not in their 50s, did not steal children from Africa, did not have a shaky marriage, but are still together, raising their children. Not the same thing.
Angelina adopted as a single parent.
From what I understand of the Malawi orphanages, they are filled with children who are orphans in the actual sense of the term, and there are children who have families who put them there if the cannot feed/care for them adequately, with the intention of coming back for them when the can care for them. I know that some of these children’s families actually visit them.
It seems that Malawi is trying to make the best of people’s bad situations by not letting children starve to death, hence really strict adoption laws, and the supposed law that they cannot be removed from the country (so the family can still have contact with them. Malawi is VERY small.). This set up is ruined when people like Madonna come in and take the kids they’ve hand picked for cuteness. Do people not remember David Banda’s dad being torn up when his son was taken from the orphanage by her, and he even stated that he was going to take his child back when he could feed him???Sure, the kids will get more stuff with her, but they lose their families…Madonna wasn’t exactly open to the dad visiting or getting him back; then he sudden shut up.
She is a REAL homewrecker.
God, she looks like a fucking cadaver
Well now, I agree with Syko. Didn’t report’s come out a few months ago on on the site Just Jared, that Guy did not really want to adopt David to begin with? And that was the beginning of their arguing, but she went ahead with the adoption, and he finally relented for the pubilicity end of it? You know David’s father seemed to enjoy all the attention he received from the news media about the adoption ( plus the extra money people sent him ). Now he has re-married and has another baby. How can he afford this one, when he could not afford David? There are so many sides to all of this, but I guess it all boils down to a tiny child getting out of a small, hot orphanage where she has no chance of a good life. Or a long and healthy life. Maybe her Grandmother will give her permission to let her go, giving her old age and all. If there is no-one else on the list to adopt her, of course. I read that country does not have people standing in line to adopt their children as in other countries. At least this little girl will have a wonderful opportunity in the U.S.A. It will work out, if it is supposed too. Quit judging Madonna and Guy!
I just want to formally apologize to everyone in England. I am sorry that this woman w/ Dorian Grey syndrome is terrorizing you and your paps in her old age. We here in the states had to put up w/ her cr@p for the 15 years she was relevant. I believe I speak for us all when I say “madge retire already”
:/
The commentor “V” and “eatavag” are one and the same. God, it is relentlessly annoying when trollies with no backbone come ’round and constantly change up their screennames to hide their original selves and dodge stuff, thinking no one will notice, or sit here and post “conversations” and agreements with themselves using different screennames. I see it happen more and more, now that I’ve been here at Celebitchy awhile, and it will never cease to bug me. It is one of my hugest Internet pet peeves, name-changers and baiting trolls. Disgusting.
I know, Snowblood.
From CB’s policy: “If you make comments using different nicknames, repeatedly harass others, or spam, you will be banned.”
CB will get around to it.
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