Sir Elton John boycotts Dolce & Gabbana: Victoria Beckham supports singer in IVF row

Victoria Beckham has spoken out in support of her close friend Sir Elton John in the midst of his row against fashion designers Dolce and Gabbana for claiming it is unnatural for gay couples who opt to use IVF treatment to conceive children.

John, 67, blasted Italian designers Domenico Dolce and Stefano Gabbana in a furious Instagram post for their views on gay adoption and IVF in an interview with magazine Panorama, during which the pair, who had been in a relationship for 20 years, stated: "We oppose gay adoptions. The only family is the traditional one. No chemical offsprings and rented uterus: life has a natural flow, there are things that should not be changed."

Dolce added: "You are born to a mother and a father - or at least that's how it should be. I call children of chemistry, synthetic children. Uteri [for] rent, semen chosen from a catalogue."

The Candle In The Wind singer subsequently vowed to boycott the high-end fashion house, writing in an Instagram message: "Your archaic thinking is out of step with the times, just like your fashions. I shall never wear Dolce and Gabbana ever again. #BoycottDolceGabbana."

Beckham, who is godmother to the two sons John shares with husband David Furnish, was among the first celebrities to defend the British singer, tweeting:

Beckham, 40, and her family including husband David, attended John and Furnish's wedding in September 2014 and the couple's eldest son Brooklyn, 16, shared a touching message on Instagram supporting John's union and urging others to #sharethelove.

Other celebrities have joined Beckham in the boycott against Dolce and Gabbana, including Courtney Love, who told her followers that she has plans to burn her D&G clothes, tweeting:

Glee and American Horror Story creator Ryan Murphy also used the #BoycottDolceGabbana hashtag to express his views, wading in:

Former Little Britain star Matt Lucas, who is openly gay, added:

Singer Ricky Martin, whose twin sons were born to a surrogate mother in 2008, also supported John, telling his followers:

As the support for John's boycott continues to grow, Gabbana has revealed his shock at the backlash against him and his business partner, telling Italian newspaper Corriere della Sera: "I did not expect it from somebody I considered – I stress, considered – intelligent such as Elton John. First you preach understanding, tolerance and then you go on the attack? And simply because somebody has a different opinion?"