Guy Ritchie's happy family

Oct 26, 2007, 11:30 GMT

Guy Ritchie, filmmaker and husband of superstar Madonna, emerges from the Mediterranean Sea on a Tel Aviv beach on 13 September 2007 after a swim. Ritchie and Madonna are in a Tel Aviv hotel taking part in a Kabala gathering during the Rosh Hashana, or Jewish New Year, holiday. Kabala is a practice of mystic Judaism. EPA/JIM HOLLANDER

Guy Ritchie denies his marriage to Madonna was close to breaking point over their adoption of a two-year-old Malawian boy.

The 39-year-old film director insists toddler David Banda - who Madonna controversially took out of Africa last October after she was granted an 18-month interim adoption order - has quickly settled into his new family and they couldn't be happier.

He said: "He's part of the family now. We haven't talked about the adoption for ages - he's part of us.

"We don't talk about it. We haven't talked about it for the past six months.

"It was only in the first month when the adoption was going through - since then we've all been getting on with our lives and it hasn't been mentioned. That's par for the course. He's part of the family."

Madonna, 49, was accused of using her celebrity status to fast track her adoption of David last year and the criticism was rumoured to have put a strain on her relationship with Guy, who she married in December 2000.

The couple - who also have a seven-year-old son, Rocco, together - are now just weeks away from being granted permanent custody of David.

The 'Hung Up' singer - who has a 10-year-old daughter, Lourdes, from a previous relationship - is set to appear before Malawi's high court next month for a review of the temporary adoption order.

It is expected the hearing - which was originally planned for next April - will make Madonna and husband Guy David's legal parents.

The decision comes after the head of Malawi's Social Services, Simon Chisale, visited the couple to assess their suitability as parents.

Chisale - who spent three days with Madonna, Guy and her two other children at the family's London mansion - praised Madonna for "looking like the perfect mum".

(C) BANG Media International