Bernie Taupin has revealed that Elton John is "a good psychiatrist"

Sir Elton is "a good psychiatrist", according to longtime songwriting partner Bernie Taupin.

The pair of hitmakers have been close friends and colleagues for more than five decades and Bernie,73, says if he has any issues, the 'I'm Still Standing' singer, 76, is the first person he calls for advice.

He told Goldmine magazine: "He's definitely the ultimate psychiatrist.

"if you need to get something off your trust, he's the first person you need to go to to get some easy answers. He is a complete constant. You can always rely on him. And I certainly did back in the early days, back in our formative years when we first got together. I certainly leaned on him, not that he was incredibly worldly, but he was certainly more socially adept than I was at the time. I was a fish out of water floundering about in the big city.

"So he was definitely a crutch to lean on and he did it magnificently and took care of me and made sure that I wasn't abused by the cynical mindset of others that might have viewed me as being a little wet around the ears and green. when l actually really wasn't. I was far more Intelligent than they give me credit for."

Bernie - who opened up about their relationship in his autobiography 'Scattershot: Life, Music, Elton and Me' - revealed the music legend is "addicted" to FaceTime and always looks forward to seeing his face during their video calls.

He added: "But yeah, in a word, he's always been a constant. And he still is.

"I still talk to him regularly, and now that he's addicted to FaceTime, it's nice to be able to see him rather than just hear him, because in that way you sort of feel like if he calls you in the morning, you feel like you actually saw him in the morning."

- Written by Bang! Showbiz and republished here with permission