Sir Elton John still financially supports the young boy he tried to adopt.
The 68-year-old musician and his husband David Furnish, 53, were charmed by Lev, who they met in a Ukrainian orphanage in 2009, and although they were unsuccessful in their adoption attempt, they managed to unite him with his grandmother and now support them both.
He told Rolling Stone magazine: "We got him to the grandmother, and we surreptitiously look after them."
Elton also revealed that Lev inspired him and David to have their own children, leading to Zachary and Elijah being born via a surrogate in 2010 and 2013 respectively.
He explained: "I always said no to having kids, because I'm too old, too set in my ways, too selfish, the lifestyle doesn't suit me. But I said, 'This boy we met was trying to tell me something.' He was trying to say, through God or someone else, 'Bulls**t, you can be a dad, look at how much pleasure I gave you in an hour and a half.'