Elton John still regrets the heartache he caused his ex-wife Renate Blauel when they split - because the couple would still be married if he wasn't gay.

The rocker admits he loved the German he wed in Australia in 1984 "in a certain way," and reveals she was "fantastic" in bed, but it was not enough to turn him straight.

Elton and Blauel divorced in 1988, but the Rocket Man still insists his ex-wife is "the classiest woman" he has ever met.

He adds, "I do love her desperately but it wasn't to be, I was living a lie.

"She would be very happy to be still married to me because she loved me so much... but it wasn't the right decision to make.

"We were two adults (and) we sorted it out ourselves, without the help of lawyers in the end.

"My big regret in the whole thing was having to put her through, like, the whole thing - someone who actually loves you and then having to say goodbye to them. I'm not exactly proud of that."

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(This news article provided by World Entertainment News Network)