Madonna's father-in-law says his son, British filmmaker Guy Ritchie, is working out marital problems with Madonna for their children's sake.

ADVERTISEMENT

The couple is raising Madonna's daughter from a previous relationship, Lourdes, 9, and has one child together, Rocco, 5.

John Ritchie, 76, told Closer magazine his son and daughter-in-law are trying to work out their differences but there was no guarantee they would be able to sustain their six-year marriage, the Mirror reported Tuesday.

"It's the children that will keep them together," he said. "The children are everything to them."

Spending time in Los Angeles away from their British home has eased some of the strain, he said.

"L.A. seems to have helped them," he said. "It's easier out there because there is less pressure. They seem to have left the bumps they were having over here behind them.

"You can never know that things will work, but they do seem to be fitting into each other more."

Madonna is preparing to embark on a world concert tour in support of her latest album, "Confessions on a Dance Floor."