LONDON, January 26, 2026 — Elton John and his husband, David Furnish, allege that the publisher of the Daily Mail engaged in unlawful information gathering, resulting in “narrow-minded” stories about their lives. Furnish described the alleged actions as “an abomination,” claiming the publication used illegally obtained information to undermine their public image.
Claims of Phone Hacking and Privacy Violations
The legal battle expands the scope of alleged press misconduct in the UK, joining Prince Harry and others in accusing Associated Newspapers Ltd (ANL) of systematic unlawful activity.
- Furnish testified that he and John felt “violated” by the alleged interception of their phone calls and personal details.
- ANL denies all allegations, asserting the challenged articles were sourced through legitimate journalistic practices.
- Actor Elizabeth Hurley alerted Furnish to the claims of unlawful tactics employed by the publication in February 2021.
- The couple alleges unlawful information gathering occurred in connection with 10 articles published between 2000 and 2015.
Furnish, giving evidence to the high court, stated that he initially believed stories originated from leaks. However, he was contacted by actor Elizabeth Hurley in February 2021, who raised concerns about the Daily Mail’s alleged use of unlawful tactics. “We are very grateful that Elizabeth called us,” Furnish said in a written submission. “If she hadn’t, we wouldn’t know what had happened and would never have known that the law had been broken and our private home and private lives barged into, violated by the Mail.”
Hurley reportedly informed them of allegations that private investigator Gavin Burrows admitted to intercepting and recording live telephone conversations at their Windsor home for the Mail on Sunday. However, ANL stated that Burrows now claims he was “never involved in any investigation work in relation to Elton John” and “never intercepted communications relating to … anyone else who had anything to do with Elton John.”
John and Furnish are alleging voicemail interceptions and other unlawful information gathering techniques were used in 10 articles published from 2000 to 2015, as well as two separate instances where such tactics were allegedly employed but did not result in published articles. One article from 2009, concerning John’s cancellation of tour dates due to illness, is alleged to have been developed using unlawfully obtained medical information. However, Catrin Evans, a barrister for ANL, argued the information came from a medical statement on John’s website and statements from their spokesperson.
Furnish expressed concern over the “specific detail” included in the 2009 article regarding his treatment. Another article, from August 2015, detailing John’s illness in Monaco, also allegedly contained private information. Evans countered that similar information had appeared in the French press.
Evans suggested that Furnish’s social circle may have been sources for journalists. Furnish responded that his friends were aware not to share private information about his family, adding that he had “mastered the art of saying nothing” when approached by journalists during “harmless chitchat.”
ANL also asserted that John’s former spokesperson and publicist, Gary Farrow, “regularly provided the media, including Associated journalists, with information about their lives,” including health and medical details now being contested. The legal team for ANL claimed the claimants’ researchers and legal team were attempting to connect payments to private investigators with articles “loosely proximate in time to the payment record,” alleging these articles displayed “hallmarks” of unlawful activity. ANL’s legal team dismissed this approach as “unsupported by any evidence before the court and utterly baseless.”
The case continues.
