Van Morrison, the website hoax and a mystery Texan

Gigi Lee was co-director with singer of at least eight companies

(REX)

Van Morrison has been on the same board of directors as the woman alleged to be the mother of his baby for exactly nine months, it has emerged. Gigi Lee was named in a "hoax" announcement of the birth on the singer's website last week.

A friend of the music veteran has been widely quoted as claiming the singer did not know Ms Lee, a Texan.

But Companies House records show that since 3 April she was a director of at least eight companies which also list the singer as a director.

Four days ago, John Saunders, who claims to be a friend of Mr Morrison, said that the singer had never heard of Ms Lee. Mr Saunders, a PR executive, subsequently stated on the Irish radio station, RTE: "I spoke to Van a short while ago and I said, 'Do you even know this person?'

"He's never heard the name at any stage in the past. He doesn't know who this person is."

However, the 42-year-old new mother is listed as a director of eight companies under a Texan address in addition to Mr Morrison at Companies House. The singer is believed to have a vast army of production staff and is thought to be bad at remembering names.

A source close to the singer and his wife of nearly two decades, Michelle Rocca, said the couple were "rock solid" in their belief that Mr Morrison had been "stitched up" in an episode that began on 29 December, with an announcement on Mr Morrison's official website that he had fathered Lee's baby boy. Mr Morrison issued a statement two days later denying this, and his team said a hacker had placed the false information on the website, which is currently out of service.

A source said yesterday: "Van and Michelle are rock solid on this. It has been upsetting and distressing for both of them. But they are rock solid in their belief that he has been stitched up." The couple are considering legal action.

Six days ago, the website statement claimed that Ms Lee had given birth to a baby called George Ivan Morrison III.

Mr Morrison issued a statement strongly denying this, which said: "For the avoidance of all doubt in the interests of clarity, I am very happily married to Michelle Morrison with whom I have two wonderful children."

He said this was the second time his website had been hacked into in the past three months and added: "I have asked my management team to carry out an immediate investigation."

Mr Morrison, who is famously reclusive, met his second wife, a Dublin socialite and former Miss Ireland, in the summer of 1992. She has appeared on one of his album covers. Mr Morrison was not personally available for comment.