In reality, John and his mother didn’t speak for eight years after one particular “petty” argument in 2008. The feud began when John asked Farebrother to sever contact with John’s former associates Bob Halley and the aforementioned Reid, but Farebrother refused.

“I told him: ‘I’m not about to do that and drop them. Bob is like a son to me. He has always been marvellous to me and he lives nearby and keeps an eye on me,’” Farebrother told The Daily Mail. “Then to my utter amazement, he told me he hated me. And then he banged the phone down. Imagine! To me, his mother!”

According to Farebrother, the argument escalated, with John accusing his mother of thinking more about Halley than him. “And to that I said to him, ‘And you think more of that fucking thing you married than your own mother,” Farebrother told The Daily Mail, in reference to Furnish.

Farebrother died in 2017, but not before her and John had patched over their disagreements. Before she died, John paid £30,000 for his mother to have a double hip replacement surgery. “So sad to say that my mother passed away this morning,” John wrote at the time on Twitter. “I only saw her last Monday and I am in shock. Travel safe mum. Thank you for everything. I will miss you so much. Love, Elton.”

The true story of Elton John’s fraught relationships with the women in his life