Madonna revealed that the reason why David's father, Yohane Banda, rejected her offer of financial help because he is now remarried - and he was happy to leave a baby in an orphanage so he could start a new life with another woman.

"I said I would be happy to facilitate with you, you know, to bring him back to your village and help you financially raise him. And he said no," Madonna said in her interview with Today show on NBC.

Because of translation problems, Madonna said she didn't fully understand Banda's decision, but she accepted it.

"I don't want to judge him," she said. "I don't know his life. I believe he remarried and had moved on to another village and was kind of getting on with his life.

"And I think he truly felt in his that [David] would have a better life with me. So when he said no, that was my sign that it was my responsibility to look after him."

Earlier, Yohane Banda said that he placed his son in the care of the Home of Hope in Mchinji because, after his wife died, he could not cope as a single parent and work the fields.

Madonna has been accused of "buying" 13-month David and using her influence to influence the court's decision and speed up the adoption process.

Madonna hit back at her critics, accusing them of racism, and said she is considering adopting again.