LONDON, Nov 1: Pop star Madonna said on Wednesday that the father of the Malawian baby she hopes to adopt declined her offer to support the child as he grew up in his homeland.

The pop legend was also adamant that she would not be seeking to adopt 13-month-old David Banda if she thought he had been receiving regular visits from his family at the orphanage where she found him.

Madonna provoked storms of criticism when she flew the child out of Malawi to London last month. A coalition of Malawian rights groups is now mounting a legal challenge against her adoption move.

In an interview with BBC television on Wednesday, she denied media reports that the toddler was visited regularly at the orphanage by his father.

Asked if she could have left him in Malawi and supported him there, the star said: Yes, I offered that option to the father and he declined.—Reuters