Michael Jackson's ex-wife Debbie Rowe broke her silence Thursday and declared she wants custody of the two children she had with the late King of Pop.
"I want my children," Rowe said during a 90-minute phone interview with NBC-LA early Thursday.
A judge later that day delayed a guardianship hearing for Michael Jackson's children at the request of attorneys for Rowe and the singer's mother.
The hearing, originally scheduled for Monday., was rescheduled for July 13.
Katherine Jackson will retain temporary guardianship of the children until then.
Rowe, who married Jackson in 1996 and filed for divorce three years later, told the NBC-LA she is willing to submit to DNA testing to prove maternity and psychological testing.
She also said she'll seek a restraining order to keep their grandfather, Joe Jackson, away from the children. Michael Jackson had a strained relationship with his father, who he said struck him as a child.
Rowe's attorney Eric George told reporters Thursday evening that he did not question the credibility of the interview but added, "Debbie has not reached a final decision concerning the pending custody proceedings."
Rowe had initially signed a contract with Jackson surrendering her parental rights, but an appeals court threw out that contract in 2006, ruling that Rowe remained the legal parent of son Michael Joseph Jr., 12, and daughter Paris Michael Katherine, 11.
Rowe retained visitation rights while Jackson kept custody of the children.
RAW DATA: Click here to read the Last Will of Michael Joseph Jackson
Eric George, Rowe's attorney, did not immediately return a message seeking comment.
Jackson's youngest child, Prince Michael II, 7, was born to a surrogate mother who has never been identified.
Jackson's will, which was filed Wednesday, put his entire estate in a family trust, and named his mother Katherine as the guardian of his children. Rowe was specifically excluded as a beneficiary in the document, which read: "I have intentionally omitted to provide for my former wife, DEBORAH JEAN ROWE JACKSON."
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