MICHAEL JACKSON was married to Debbie Rowe after he divorced Elvis Presley’s daughter Lisa Marie – but why did Debbie let Michael do ‘the parenting’ instead of her?

Michael Jackson and Debbie Rowe had two children together: Prince, born in February 1997; and Paris, born April 1998. Their relationship lasted for a short while, ending after almost three years. Michael had full custody of their children from their divorce, and Debbie has explained why.

According to Debbie, her intention in marrying and having children with Michael was not to become a mother.

In fact, this was the furthest from her thoughts, and she was instead just wanting to give him the opportunity to be a father.

She admitted this in a TV interview in 2003, where she explained why the parenting and custody of the children were left to her former husband.

Debbie said on Michael Jackson: The Footage You Were Never Meant To See: “I did it for him to become a father, not for me to become a mother.

“You earn the title parent. I have done absolutely nothing to earn that title.”

When talking further about Michael’s efforts to keep his children safe and happy, she added: “That is because Michael did all the parenting. I didn’t do it to be a mother.

“I didn’t change diapers. I didn’t get up in the middle of the night, even when I was there, Michael did it all.”

This is not the only time Debbie has spoken about her attempts to make Michael happy by making him a father, as she once described giving him ‘her womb’ as part of their marriage

She said: “Michael was divorced, lonely and wanted children. I was the one who said to him, ‘I will have your babies’.

“I offered him my womb, it was a gift. It was something I did to keep him happy.”

Debbie has also explained the couple never actually had sex in order for her to get pregnant, and instead, she felt like a ‘thoroughbred.’

She added: “I went to the ‘office’, which is what we called the medical clinic.

“They impregnated me. It’s just like I impregnate my mares for breeding. It was very technical.

“Just like I stick the sperm up my horse, this is what they did to me. I was his thoroughbred.”

After their divorce, Debbie gave custody to Michael until some years later, in 2004, when she attempted to reverse the decision in court.

The pair came to a settlement, and again in 2009, Debbie came to a custody agreement with Michael’s mother, Katherine Jackson, who was named the children’s guardian after Michael’s death.

While Michael ultimately turned to Debbie to have his children, she was not his first choice, as he had hoped to have children with his first wife, Lisa Marie Presley.

Lisa Marie already had two children with her first husband Danny Keough: Riley and Benjamin.

Speaking to Oprah in 2010, Lisa explained how Michael would make veiled threats about having children with him, suggesting Debbie was already willing to take her place if needs be.

She said: “Michael wasn’t a bad person, he didn’t know any better.

“I took it very personally, I felt I was disposable…

“He would tell me, ‘If you’re not gonna do it, Debbie said she’ll do it.’

“And we would get into arguments because that wasn’t how to handle it.

“But that’s how he knew how to handle it, ‘If you’re not going to do it, this person will. Are you going to do it or not?’”

In the end, the couple did not have children and divorced after almost 18 months together.

Following his divorce from Debbie, Michael went on to have a third child via an egg donor and surrogate mother, Blanket, who was born in February 2002.