Elton John’s husband says President Putin’s a “genuinely lovely” guy

Elton John’s husband, David Furnish, has praised President Putin after the Russian leader phoned the singer last month.

The star was at first the victim of a Russian prankster pretending to be Putin calling him to talk about the plight of LGBT people in Russia.

The president then later genuinely phoned John and discussed meeting in person about the issue.

According to the Daily Mirror, Furnish has revealed that he’s fallen for the leader’s charm.

Speaking at the Attitude Awards in London on Wednesday he said:  “Putin is lovely. He and Elton spoke on the phone and the Kremlin have confirmed that. Now they’re trying to get a date in the diary to talk face to face.

“That may surprise people but I take people as I find them and he was so polite and lovely on the phone.

“He’s genuinely lovely. Besides, this isn’t about politics – I’m not a politician – it’s about humanity,” Furnish added.

The openly gay John has a huge following in Russia and he’s said he hopes to use his influence to support the country’s LGBT community.

In 2013, Putin signed a law prohibiting the promotion of “non-traditional” sexual relationships. The “gay propaganda” law effectively bars any expression or discussion of homosexuality in public, on television, in print or on the internet.

The law has been blamed for increased anti-gay sentiment, discrimination and violence against members of the LGBT community.