Who Is Estere Ciccone’s Biological Parents? About Madonna’s Adopted Daughter

Estere Ciccone’s the daughter of singer-songwriter and actress Madonna. Ciccone’s mother, a singer, is considered one of the most influential figures in popular culture. She is also often referred to as the “Queen of Pop” by music listeners.

Throughout her career, she has released a string of successful albums, including the all-time bestsellers Like a Virgin (1984), True Blue (1986), and The Immaculate Collection (1990). Her Grammy Award-winning albums include Ray of Light (1998) and Confessions on a Dance Floor (2005).

Madonna, the Guinness World Records best-selling music artist of all time, has touched the hearts of millions more over the past decade or so. This is mainly thanks to her charity work and activism in countries like Malawi. The most successful solo artist has developed strong ties with the African country, having adopted several local children.

Is Estere one of them? Or is she the biological offspring of an American pop icon? Find out all these and many other facts about Estere Ciccone in this section.

Estere Ciccone Is Malawian By Birth; Her Mother Died At Childbirth 

Estere Ciccone was born on 24 August 2012 with her twin sister Stella. Her original name is Estere Mwale.

Her biological parents are Adam Mwale and Patricia. Adam is a farmer from a small community in Malawi, while her mother Patricia was a housewife who died the day after the twin girls were born. Sources report that she died as a result of heavy bleeding.

Her father is from Kayembe village. Apparently, after the death of his wife Patricia, he left his daughters and children to marry another woman.

While Mwale remarried two years after Patricia’s death, Estere remained in limbo along with her five biological siblings in addition to Stella, all of whom except the other twin are now aged between 10 and 25.

Madonna eventually adopted Estere in 2017 when she and her twin sister were four years old.

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Estere Ciccone’s Five More Siblings

In addition to her baby sister in the womb and her siblings back home in Malawi, Estere has four adopted children, namely Lourdes Leon, Rocco Ritchie, David Ciccone Ritchie, and Mercy Ciccone.

Among the names mentioned above, David Ciccone and Mercy Ciccone are also adopted children of the Bay City-born artist.

Madonna’s biological children are Lourdes and Rocco. The former was born to her ex-boyfriend Carlos Leon. Carlos was also her personal trainer.

Estere Ciccone’s Eldest Sister Is A Model

Madonna’s first child, Lourdes (full name Lourdes Maria Ciccone Leon), was born in 1996. She is an actress and model.

Lourdes has starred in campaigns for Miu Miu and Stella McCartney. She has also walked in the Gypsy Sport New York Fashion Week show and sat in the front row for Burberry, Proenza Schouler, and Alexander Wang.

Estere Ciccone’s Adoptive Brother, Rocco Ritchie 

Rocco Ritchie was born on 11 August 2000. Singer La Isla Vonita welcomed Rocco with her ex-husband Guy Ritchie. Until 2018, Madonna and Guy fought a fierce custody battle over him.

Estere Other Step Brother Is Also From Her Native Country

Estere’s third adopted sibling is David Banda. Like her, David is from Malawi. The Golden Globe Award winner adopted him in 2006.

David was only a year old at the time. He is currently playing amateur football for a European team. David is from the Home of Hope orphanage in Lilongwe, the capital.

Her Mother Took In Another Child From The Same Nation

After Banda, Madonna traveled to Malawi again to adopt another local child. This time it was Mercy James, a girl in full Chifundo Mercy James.

Actress Dick Tracy applied for the adoption in May 2009, but the country’s High Court first rejected the application because Madonna was not a resident of the country.

After she appealed again, and on 12 June 2009, the High Court of Malawi finally granted her the right to adopt the baby girl.

In 2017, VH1’s “Greatest Woman in Music” opened Mercy James Hospital in Blantyre, Malawi, in honor of her second adopted child. Mercy is also from an orphanage in Malawi’s business capital Blantyre.

Madonna Finally Announced The Adoption Of Estere Ciccone And Stella

When she finally/officially gained custody of Estere and her twin sister in February 2017, Madonna announced via Instagram,

‘I Am Overjoyed That They Are Now Part of Our Family. I can officially confirm I have completed the process of adopting twin sisters from Malawi and am overjoyed that they are now part of our family.”

She added that she was very grateful to all the Malawians who helped to make the adoption possible.

Before the adoption, Stella and Estere were living in a children’s home in Mchinji. It is close to the western border with Zambia. David Banda also lived there at the time.

Why Madonna Decided To Adopt More Children

When asked what her reason was for adding more children to her brood, the multiple Grammy winner said she felt that “not enough children were dancing in her kitchen”.

“‘I Thought, “Why Isn’t My Kitchen Filled with Dancing Children? It’s like saying, ‘Why do you fall in love with the people you fall in love with?’ “

In September 2017, Madonna explained to PEOPLE.

She also justified her insight that so many children need a home, in addition to the singer asking herself: “What am I waiting for? Just do it.

She told Vogue that all her older children supported the idea.

Madonna Had Initially Denied The Story Of Her Adopting Estere Ciccone And His Sister 

Intriguingly, the singer had denied rumors of adopting Estere and her twin sister until it actually happened.

She explained that she had come to Malawi to inspect the children’s hospital in Blantyre and do other work for her organization Raising Malawi. She further stated that the rumors about the adoption process were false.

Madonna Was Criticized For Winning The Guardianship Of Estere 

After Madonna finally became the legal parents of Estere and Stella, many in Malawi denounced the government. They criticized the country’s law for granting the singer a special exemption from laws that otherwise prevent non-residents from adopting children to take abroad.

Apparently, the custody proceedings were held in a courtroom in Lilongwe in the presence of Estere’s biological father and Madonna.

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Estere Ciccone’s Biological Father Denied That He Agreed To Give Madonna His Daughters

In an interview with the Daily Mail in February 2017, the same month that Madonna adopted Estere and her sister, their biological father claimed that he had not realized that their guardianship was permanent.

He explained that Madonna’s representative had allegedly told him that the pop star liked the twins, wanted to take them, educate them and then return them to his village in Malawi.

‘That cannot be true,’

Mr. Mwale insisted, adding that he believed the singer was only patronizing the girls.

He said he only agreed on the condition that it would be a great opportunity for the girls. During the court hearings, Madonna’s team and several other local residents blamed Estere’s father for abandoning his children immediately after their mother’s death.

Mwale, on the other hand, said that he himself had taken the children to the orphanage and visited them often.

However, Madonna has not responded to Mvale’s accusations.

Her Adoptive Mother Supports Several Charities In Malawi

In addition to sheltering the country’s children, Estere Ciccone’s mother Madonna has been fighting poverty among Malawi’s orphans for more than a decade through her charity Raising Malawi.

Quick Facts About Estere Ciccone