The quiet other half of a flamboyant superstar

It is a story of a love that dared not speak its name, a tale of heady romance between two products of suburbia who sought a relationship forbidden by convention amid the neatly manicured lawns and swept driveways of their early environs.

A liaison between a blue-hatted garden ornament named Gnomeo and his lover Juliet (from a rival clan with red pointy headwear) may sound bizarre but it will have had poignancy for David Furnish.

The Canadian fled the leafy Bridlewood neighbourhood of Scarborough, Ontario, for a new life in Britain that would partner him with the most famous son of suburban Pinner in northwest London, Sir Elton John.

Furnish is the producer of Gnomeo and Juliet, a 3D animation blockbuster from the pair's production company Rocket Pictures and Walt Disney's Touchstone Pictures, with James McAvoy and Emily Blunt voicing the lead roles.

The film features Sir Elton's music and a piano-playing gnome with Rocket Man spectacles. After 12 years in production it will be released this month, making it the second most important new arrival in the lives of the world's most famous gay couple.

There isn't a film publicist on earth who could create as much brouhaha over the launch of a Shakespeare-inspired cartoon as there was last week over the birth on Christmas Day of Zachary Jackson Levon Furnish-John.

The baby was born to an unidentified surrogate mother, but will be raised by the two men at their homes in Windsor, Atlanta, Nice and Venice.

But although the birth drew some snide comments in showbiz websites and in newsprint, few made pejorative references to David Furnish, 48.

Always immaculately dressed and with impeccable manners, his style is not to cause outrage.

That was what first attracted Sir Elton to him, when he - with some reluctance - attended a dinner party at the pop star's home after being invited by a mutual friend.

Quieter and better-attired than the other guests, the board member at advertising agency Ogilvy & Mather was from a place outside Sir Elton's flamboyant social circle.

In a recent interview on Canadian radio, Furnish went to great lengths to explain the normality of the couple's relationship.

"We love each other very much and take our relationship very seriously," he said.

When the United Kingdom in December 2005 allowed same sex couples to enter civil partnerships, Sir Elton and Furnish were at the front of the queue, exchanging rings on the first day possible.

Months earlier, Sir Elton, once the high-heeled glam rocker deliberately provoking reaction, had gone down on one knee and asked: "Will you be my life partner?"

Furnish has said: "Given the status that we have with our celebrity we felt that we could really shine a light on the fact that this legislation had come into place and hopefully that could change and affect other people."

They were not the type of people who indulged in "banging drums and waving placards", he said.

But David Furnish is an effective campaigner on human rights issues.

He has a leading role in the Elton John Aids Foundation, which has raised more than US$220 million ($282 million) and supports projects in 55 countries.

The couple's White Tie and Tiara Ball, held each year at their home in Old Windsor, has raised £40 million ($80.1 million).

When their relationship was made public, cynics saw Furnish as a young trophy for an ageing showbiz star with a fortune estimated at £180 million.

But, with Sir Elton's encouragement, he left his job in advertising to pursue a more creative career in film production and writing.

Many of the projects he has worked on address sexual identity, from the musical Billy Elliot to the 2006 feature film It's a Boy Girl Thing and his illuminating 1997 documentary about Sir Elton, Tantrums and Tiaras.

The candid nature of that film came as a surprise to many viewers, just as interviewers of Furnish seem surprised that he is "his own man" and those who hear him speak remark that he is "down to earth".

Sir Elton's glitzy friends seem to like that. David and Victoria Beckham made him a godfather to their two older sons. Liz Hurley, who made Furnish a godfather to her son Damien, told Toronto Life: "[David is] definitely one of my best friends."

Of his life among the famous, Furnish says: "I connect with them on a human level not on a celebrity level and when we go out for dinner or meet for tea we probably talk about the same things that you and I would talk about."

It's not that Furnish is an ordinary Joe. At private school in Canada he was part of a trendy set that included film producer Damon D'Oliveira and actor Eric McCormack. But struggling to reconcile his sexuality with the expectations of his conventional upbringing, he decided to go to Britain.

When he later tearfully told his parents that not only was he gay but he was living with Sir Elton John, they welcomed the news with smiles and the realisation that they had reconnected with their son.

Furnish is aware that, as he adjusts to becoming a father, not everyone will be so understanding.

Much earlier in their relationship, Sir Elton celebrated his 50th birthday in an outrageous Louis XIV wig and feather ensemble, with his Canadian boyfriend at his side in similar garb.

For many it is an enduring image, and some commentators still see Furnish as a mere decorative bauble furnished for an extravagant older man. And they regard little Zachary in much the same light.

But Elton John has changed a lot since that wild night at Hammersmith Palais in London. These days he's health-conscious and more likely to be seen in a black T-shirt and a dark designer suit.

If anything, Furnish is becoming the shinier of the pair, although - just like the anthropomorphic gnomes in his new film - there's a lot more to him than mere ornamentation.

DAVID FURNISH: A LIFE IN BRIEF

Born: October 25, 1962, Scarborough, Canada

Family: His father was the director of a consumer goods company. His mother brought up Furnish and his two brothers, John and Peter. Entered into a civil partnership with Sir Elton John in 2005. Their son, Zachary Jackson Levon Furnish-John, was born to a surrogate mother on Christmas Day 2010.

Education: Attended the private Sir John A. Macdonald Collegiate and then the University of Western Ontario. Gained degree in Business Administration.

Career: Joined the advertising agency Ogilvy & Mather, becoming a board member. Moved into film production and jointly runs Rocket Pictures. Was a producer on the musical Billy Elliot and has produced several films.

He says: "I'm a filmmaker, I'm a writer, a fundraiser, a good friend, supportive to my family - those are all as important to me as my sexuality."

They say: "Furnish's relationship with Elton has afforded him huge opportunities, but he doesn't seem to have exploited them in a way that could be described as unbecoming" - journalist Celia Walden.

- INDEPENDENT