‘Overjoyed’ Madonna Officially Confirms Adoption of Twins, Asks for ‘Privacy During This Transitional Time’
Madonna is “overjoyed” that her adoption of twins from Malawi has gone through.
On Wednesday, the superstar singer shared a photo on social media of herself walking hand in hand with the 4-year-old girls, who are named Stella and Esther. She wrote that she could “officially confirm” the adoption of the “twin sisters from Malawi,” adding that she was “overjoyed that they are now part of our family.”
Related: Celebrities Who Have Adopted
Madonna, who already has four children (including two from the African country), went on to write, “I am deeply grateful to all those in Malawi who helped make this possible, and I ask the media please to respect our privacy during this transitional time. Thank you also to my friends, family and my very large team for all your support and Love!”
A photo posted by Madonna (@madonna) on Feb 8, 2017 at 10:24am PST
Madonna, who has long been doing charitable work in the country with her Raising Malawi nonprofit, originally denied that she had plans to add to her brood, deeming a report by the Associated Press last month “untrue.” However, she was in a Malawi court on Tuesday — with a fleet of security — for the official ruling.
The Associated Press obtained a court document from the adoption in which Judge Fiona Mwale listed her reasons for giving Madonna the OK on the adoption. She was satisfied that Madonna “is motivated by her desire to offer a home, love, protection, and guidance.”
The judge wrote, “The petitioner is a professional performer and I guarded myself against the danger of her merely reciting a well-rehearsed speech by asking her some rather uncomfortable questions to which she gave very candid answers.”
Related: Why Does Madonna Have a Connection to Malawi?
Madonna told the court that Esther and Stella would keep their birth names to help maintain their connection to their birth country. (Coincidentally, Kabbalah enthusiast Madonna’s Hebrew name is Esther.) Additionally, she was hiring a Malawian caretaker to travel with the kids to the United States to make the transition run smoothly.
The document also revealed that the twins, who were delivered by cesarean section, lost their mother a week after they were born due to complications from childbirth. Their father, who has five other children, was unable to provide for them and appeared in court to support Madonna’s adoption. The girls had been living at the Home of Hope orphanage.
While this is the first official photo we’ve seen of Esther and Stella, Madonna actually shared a shot of them — with their future big sister Lourdes — last July when the family was visiting the country. She never hinted that she had plans to adopt the sweet pair; she only captioned the picture, “3 Beauties! Lola spends time with twins, Stella and Esther at Home of Hope Orphanage.”
A photo posted by Madonna (@madonna) on Jul 8, 2016 at 6:49am PDT
What a difference a few months makes!
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