Sir Elton John and his partner David Furnish have become the proud parents to a baby boy named Zachary Jackson Levon Furnish-John.

Zachary was born weighing 7lbs 15oz via a surrogate mother in California on the 25th of December, Christmas day. This is the first child for Sir John, 62, and Furnish, 48. The couple got married in 2005 after being together for 12 years.

In a joint statement to Us Magazine, the couple said "We are overwhelmed with happiness and joy at this very special moment. Zachary is healthy and doing really well, and we are very proud and happy parents."

A rep for the couple has stated that both Sir John and Furnish intend to protect and respect the privacy of the surrogate and will not be discussing any details relating to the surrogacy arrangements made.

According to the Daily Mail, the couple had first attempted to adopt an HIV positive child from the Ukraine last year. But the adoption was rejected on the grounds of Sir John's age and the fact that the country did not recognize civil marriages. Sir John then made a commitment to support the boy financially.