Madonna denies rumours

LOS ANGELES – Madonna on Sunday took the rare step of issuing a formal denial of reports linking her to US baseball star Alex Rodriguez and speculation she was to divorce British director Guy Ritchie.

In an exclusive statement released to celebrity magazine People, Madonna poured scorn on suggestions she was in a romantic relationship with New York Yankees star Rodriguez. The 49-year-old pop icon also scotched speculation that she was seeking a divorce from ‘Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels’ director Ritchie after seven years of marriage.”My husband and I are not planning on getting a divorce,” Madonna was quoted as saying in the People statement.The singer insisted she only knew Rodriguez because they shared the same manager, Guy Oseary.”I brought my kids to a Yankee game.I am not romantically involved in any way with Alex Rodriguez,” Madonna said.Rodriguez’s wife Cynthia, who recently gave birth to the couple’s second child, was reported to have left the slugger last week, citing Madonna as the cause of her marital breakdown, and alleging Madonna wooed Rodriguez to Kabbalah, a form of Jewish mysticism.”I have nothing to do with the state of his marriage or what spiritual path he may choose to study,” added Madonna, who said she issued the statement to distinguish “fact from fiction”.”I have learned over the years not to take accusations and the many false reports about me very seriously,” she said.Nampa-AFPThe 49-year-old pop icon also scotched speculation that she was seeking a divorce from ‘Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels’ director Ritchie after seven years of marriage.”My husband and I are not planning on getting a divorce,” Madonna was quoted as saying in the People statement.The singer insisted she only knew Rodriguez because they shared the same manager, Guy Oseary.”I brought my kids to a Yankee game.I am not romantically involved in any way with Alex Rodriguez,” Madonna said.Rodriguez’s wife Cynthia, who recently gave birth to the couple’s second child, was reported to have left the slugger last week, citing Madonna as the cause of her marital breakdown, and alleging Madonna wooed Rodriguez to Kabbalah, a form of Jewish mysticism.”I have nothing to do with the state of his marriage or what spiritual path he may choose to study,” added Madonna, who said she issued the statement to distinguish “fact from fiction”.”I have learned over the years not to take accusations and the many false reports about me very seriously,” she said.Nampa-AFP