Mr Banda, who gave the youngster to an orphanage at five weeks because he was unable to care for him when the baby’s mother died shortly after his birth, has said he never understood that his child was being taken "for good".

But Madonna said in the interview, details of which were released on Oprah’s website: "I do not believe that is true. I sat in that room, I looked into that man’s eyes.

"I believe that the press is manipulating this information out of him."

Madonna also revealed how unwell David was with pneumonia when she first met him at the orphanage in Malawi. He had already survived malaria and tuberculosis.

"When I met him, he was extremely ill," the singer said by satellite link from London.

"I was in a state of panic, because I didn’t want to leave him in the orphanage because I knew they didn’t have medication to take care of him.

"He’s still a little bit ill, not completely free of his pneumonia, but he’s much better than he was when we found him."

Madonna defends adoption on Oprah show - Oct 25 2006
Madonna will speak publicly about her adoption controversy for the first time today during a TV interview with Oprah Winfrey.

The pop superstar will defend her decision to take 13-month-old David Banda from Malawi to become part of her family.

She will explain her decision to adopt him - and answer claims from David’s father, peasant farmer Yohane Banda, who said he never meant to give the little boy up for good.

The pre-recorded interview with Oprah will be broadcast this afternoon in the US.

Madonna has been stung by criticism that she has bypassed Malawi law to "buy" a baby by offering 2 million dollars (£1.1m) to help orphans in the impoverished African country.

The adoption saga took a new twist when David’s father said he only agreed to let Madonna take the little boy on the assurance from government officials that Madonna would be a temporary carer.

Mr Banda, 32, said: "I cannot read and write so I relied on what the (government) officials told me, that the papers said Madonna would look after the child the way the orphanage planned to educate him and then he comes back to me.

"Had they told us that Madonna wanted to adopt my son and make him her own son, we would not have agreed to that."

An audience member on Oprah said Madonna had talked of her surprise at the news that Mr Banda did not realise he was signing away his son permanently.

Madge’s baby clothes mystery - Oct 23 2006
Madonna’s decision to add a baby boy to her brood has raised more than a few eyebrows - but does the material mom have a baby girl on her mind too?

TMZ.com reports that one of Madonna’s assistants called the high end baby boutique Petit Tresor in Los Angeles on Friday and ordered over $7,200 worth of baby clothes - for a boy and a girl.

The order is alleged to have included romper suits, pyjamas and cashmere cardigans for a 12-month-old boy, as well as girly sweater sets, pink shoes with cherries on them, and a pink linen dress.

A source tells TMZ.com that the items were all shipped to Madge’s London home.

While the boy’s clothes clearly fit the bill for Madonna’s adopted son, Malawian one-year-old David, who arrived only days ago at the singer’s London home, the recipient of the girl’s clothes is a mystery.

They’re clearly not destined for husband Guy Ritchie, their son Rocco, 6, or her eldest child, daughter Lourdes, who’s already 10-years-old.