Sir Elton John says he will never smack or shout at his two sons when disciplining them

After suffering a “fearful” childhood, Sir Elton John has said he will never smack or shout at his kids when disciplining them.

The pop star, 72, shares two sons - Zachary, nine, and six-year-old Elijah - with husband David Furnish, 57.

Speaking to the Daily Mail, the singer said he prefers to parent using calm words instead.

He explained: “I was determined I was not going to hit them, I was determined I was not going to shout at them.

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“They were going to be disciplined, but they were going to be disciplined in a way where we talked about things.

“I don’t want them to live any of their lives in fear and they don’t. They’re amazing children.

Of being a father, he added: “The biggest responsibility in life is raising children, there’s no question about it.

“And if you can leave this Earth having raised your children well and they’re happy, that’s the greatest thing you can achieve. Forget your work. Forget your talent or anything.”

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The star has previously described his relationship with his own late father Stanley Dwight - who divorced his mother Sheila when he was 14 years old - as “pure hate” for what he claimed was an “absent” and “strict” parenting style.

Their family dynamic was depicted in the 2019 film Rocketman, for which Elton is nominated for a Golden Globe Award for Best Song.

Both of the sons he shares with David - who he married in 2005 - were born by surrogate.

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It comes as Cheryl Tweedy revealed plans to have more than one child by sperm donor.

The pop star, 36, explained that she wants to provide “more than one” sibling for two-year-old son Bear, who she shares with ex-boyfriend Liam Payne, 26.

Speaking to The Times Magazine, the currently-single star said that the upcoming solo fertility treatment “makes me very happy”.

She continued: “If time was on my side and I was in my twenties, yeah, I would wait and consider more options, or wait for somebody I felt was right, but…

“You could meet somebody and for that year it feels incredible, but there is never a guarantee because there are so many variables that can happen.

“Life is a funny old game.”

Cheryl, who after stints on The X Factor is about to return to The Greatest Dancer’s judging panel, confirmed that she wants to have a second and third child using a sperm donor from “out of town”.

She explained: “You can get it from abroad.”

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