Elton and David plan low-key Christmas

Elton John and his partner David Furnish are shunning their mansions for an apartment in Venice, Italy this Christmas.

The pair, who wed last year, have opted for their low-key Italian haunt this festive season over homes in America, France and England.

Furnish admits the couple enjoy the simpler things in life at the Venetian pad, because it makes them "really happy" at holiday time.

He says: "We do our own self catering (in Venice). You can have all the world at your fingertips sometimes and then, actually, what makes you happy is loading the dishwasher, laying the table, making the toast and coffee, and just hanging around at home."