Madonna issues statement about marriage

Madonna has issued a rare public statement about her marriage to Guy Ritchie, following weeks of rumours that the couple are planning to divorce.

The Queen of Pop insisted that there is no truth in claims that she will announce the end of their partnership after completing work on her Sticky And Sweet world tour in November.

"My husband and I are not planning on getting a divorce," she confirmed in a statement released to People magazine.

Madonna also responded to rumours that she was responsible for the break-up of US baseball star Alex Rodriguez's marriage. The sportsman's wife Cynthia Rodriguez had reportedly accused her of stealing away the New York Yankees player after introducing him to the Kabbalah religion.

"I brought my kids to a Yankee game. I am not romantically involved in any way with Alex Rodriguez," she explained. "I have nothing to do with the state of his marriage or what spiritual path he may choose to study."

The statement went on: "I have learned over the years not to take accusations and the many false reports about me very seriously. I also appreciate how fiction and fact seem to be perceived as one and the same by people who read both newspapers and the Internet."

Madonna and Ritchie put on a public show of unity in New York last week in an attempt to silence talk about their marriage.