Madonna is freaking out over her adoption fiasco. As if the star’s insanely restrictive diet wasn’t already bad enough, Madge has apparently stopped eating all together. She has also ceased exercising, which is how we know things are really bad.

The singer has allegedly gone into a downward spiral since a court ruled against her adoption of four-year-old Mercy James from Malawi earlier this month, and friends are worried for her health.

A source said: “She has abandoned her strict macrobiotic diet and is virtually eating nothing. She has even stopped training since she returned from Malawi and seems to be in a trance a lot of the time.”

Madonna - who is a devout follower of Kabbalah, a mystical off-shoot of Judaism - has reportedly lost 5 lbs since the adoption was stopped and has struggled to keep her emotions in check while in public.

The source added to Britain’s Daily Express newspaper: “Madonna attended a Passover dinner in London held by members of her Kabbalah faith and broke down in tears about Mercy.

“She looked wiped out, telling guests she felt weak from lack of sleep and exercise. She said she felt too low to train which, for her, is unheard of.” [Source]

Does Madonna think that a hunger strike will get the Malawi government to reconsider? Time will tell. Let’s hope Madge can pull herself together soon. Her current kids could probably use a functional mom.

Photo Credit: Fame Pictures

Despite their divorce, it seems that Guy Ritchie has nothing but glowing words about Madonna’s capabilities as a mother. The director has expressed his sadness over a judge’s ruling against Madonna’s request to adopt 3-year old Malawian girl, Mercy James.

In a statement, Ritchie said: “Madonna is a fantastic and loving mother who cares deeply about her own children, and children who may need additional help and support.

“I fully supported Madonna in her decision to apply for this adoption, and I am saddened that her application has been rejected. She is motivated only by being a caring parent who seeks to share some of the advantages and opportunities that her life has given her. This time it did not work out, but there will be other opportunities and I wish her well in them. She is a great mum.”  [Source]

Madonna landed in Malawi today to finalize her adoption of 3-year old Mercy James. She will appear before a judge. If everything goes according to plan, Mercy will be released to her custody right away. Experts have weighed in on this latest issue regarding the Queen of Pop.

“We should never allow our children to be placed into broken families,” Maxwell Matewere, director of children’s charity, Eye of the Child, has said.

Another British-based charity group, Save the Children, believes that many international adoptions are unnecessary and has urged Madonna to ensure all other options had been exhausted before removing a child from a foreign orphanage.

“If the celebrity really wants to help children in poor countries, they should support charities like Save The Children and others who seek to improve the quality of children’s lives in their own countries and communities,” spokesperson Dominic Nutt said.

He added: “We believe they are better looked after in their own country as far as is possible.” [Source]

Well, Mr. Metewere, money talks. And Mr. Nutt, I wholeheartedly agree with you. But perhaps this will inspire Madonna to give or do more to charity organizations that help orphans all over the world. Let’s hope for the best, shall we?

Photo Credit: Fame Pictures

Mercy as in a Malawian sister for adopted son, David. According to reports, Madonna has set her sights on adopting 3-year old Mercy James.

“The adoption is going ahead,” Malawi’s Director of Child Welfare Services, Penstone Kilembe, tells Usmagazine.com. “It has been at an advanced stage for some time.” [Source]

But wouldn’t being a single mom affect her chances of being granted custody of the child? After all, orphans should be released to stable and standard family structures. But what the Queen of Pop wants, she gets. She knows how to play the media and appeal to the people.

“Our official policy is that we do not encourage our children to be sent into broken homes,” a senior official from Malawi’s Ministry of Women and Child Welfare Development said of the singer, who has romanced 22-year-old model Jesus Luz and Alex Rodriguez since divorcing Guy Ritchie last year. “Her relationships may negatively affect the adoption of Mercy.”

Madonna has expressed interest in wanting to adopt another child.

“Many people - especially our Malawian friends - say that David should have a Malawian brother or sister,” she recently told Malawi’s The Nation newspaper. “It’s something I have been considering but would only do if I had the support of the Malawian people and the government.” [Source]

Photo Credit: Fame Pictures

Madonna’s romantic life may be a constant source of drama but the Material Girl definitely knows how to keep her workout regimen consistent and stress free. Fitness magazine recently sat down and chatted with Startraks photog Humberto Carreno, who has the dubious distinction of playing “fly on the wall” when Madonna is in New York City. Carreno told Fitness:

“She’s amazing. She never misses a day,” he says. Here are a few of her stay-fit secrets.

1. Stick to a time, but be flexible.
Like clockwork, Madonna leaves her home at 8 a.m. to exercise. Even the morning after a late-night event, she won’t skip her workout. “She’ll come out later, at 10:30,” Carreno says.

2. Ditch the crummy sweats.
Catch the Material Girl in old T-shirts? Never! “She always looks great, wearing the coolest athletic clothes,” Carreno notes. “It must motivate her.”

3. Change it up.
“She’s really careful about not getting bored. One day she’ll go to the gym, the next she’ll be jogging in Central Park,” Carreno says. “I’ve never seen her do the same thing twice in a row.”

4. Find friends who love to work out.
They’ll not only encourage you, they’ll join you. Carreno has shot Madonna running with Ingrid Casares; in London, she’s been seen leaving her gym with Gwyneth Paltrow and Stella McCartney.

5. Don’t overdo it.
Carreno has noticed that the singer never works out for more than 45 minutes. So take heart: An incredible body doesn’t have to be a full-time job — just a regular commitment. [Source]

I can totally dig on 1,3 and 5 but as for rules 2 and 4, I’m not so sure. Then again, I might fly solo because I’m embarrassed of my decades-old gym shorts/ex-boyfriend sweatshirt ensemble.

Madonna has pulled a “Tom Cruise” on her poor boy-toy, Jesus Luz. She’s insisting that he follow the same ridiculously strict diet that she adheres to in order to stay close to God and maintain her wiry frame. Apparently, Madonna demands this of all her close friends, family and future ex-husbands.

A source said: “It’s very important to Madonna that anyone close to her does two things - follow her religion and her diet.

“Jesus is now having to eat organic salads, brown rice and fish. Occasionally she indulges with a slice of wheat-free wholegrain toast with sugar-free strawberry jam.”

Madonna, 50, began encouraging Jesus to join Kabbalah, the mystical offshoot of Judaism she follows, soon after they started dating last December.

A source said “Jesus has taken a real interest in Kabbalah and has started making a few online enquiries into the faith. He joined an online Kabbalah group and is keen to become an active member. Madonna has also offered to take him to the Kabbalah centre in New York and he is exceedingly keen to take her up on that.” [Source]

I guess this is the price you pay for dating the most famous control freak in the world.

Photo credit: Fame Pictures

We all know that Madonna can dance like a mad woman but did you ever expect that demure Gwyneth Paltrow would get down to shed pounds? Apparently, both women incorporate dance quite heavily into their workout routines, or so says their trainer, Tracy Anderson. Anderson, who is fast becoming one of the best-known celebrity fitness pros thanks to her connection with Madge, had this to say during an interview on E! last week:

“Obviously someone like Madonna is an amazingly gifted dancer so that was easy…but someone like Gwyneth…when I first started working with her -bless her heart - it was like step touch step touch! Now she’s a pop star she could go on tour herself if she wanted to!”

Anderson is a very demanding trainer and won’t work with just anyone.

“Well, Madonna has an unbelievable work ethic she’s extremely consistent she’s an amazing student. …I don’t work with people that aren’t hard workers, that don’t take it seriously.” [Source]

Anderson’s star is on the rise, it seems. She and Gwyneth are already talking about opening their own chain of gyms here in the States.

Photo Credit: Fame Pictures

How does a middle-aged singer with two children maintain her amazing body? Madonna does punishing daily workouts and strict macrobiotic diet! This kind of diet is based on the idea that food affects health, well being, and happiness, and focuses on whole, unprocessed foods and is low in fat, high in fiber and rich in vegetables and soy.