Julio Iglesias' illegitimate son after 'seven-figure' payout

Julio Iglesias is rumoured to have slept with 3000 women. Photo / Getty Images

Legendary crooner Julio Iglesias is facing a potential financial nightmare after a former partner revealed plans to sue him for "seven figures".

Ex-ballerina Maria Edite Santos had a brief fling with the singer in the '70s, and nine months later, her son Javier Sanchez Santos was born.

Iglesias refused to take a DNA test, and Mr Sanchez, who is now 43, never met the Spanish star.

But earlier this month, a Spanish court ruled there was "sufficient evidence" Mr Sanchez was the celebrity's biological son, news.com.au reports.

In fact, the 75-year-old's refusal to take a DNA test ended up working against him, with the judge citing it as a factor in his decision in the paternity suit.

" … there existed contacts and a relationship between the mother of (Sanchez and Iglesias) near the date of conception," the judge's ruling stated, according to AAP.

The judge also noted there was an "obvious physical resemblance" between the men.

Any potential financial compensation for Mr Sanchez will be decided in a separate trial, although lawyers acting for Iglesias revealed they planned to appeal the decision.

Iglesias refused to take a DNA test, and Mr Sanchez, who is now 43, never met the Spanish star. Photo / Getty Images

However, Ms Santos has since announced plans to sue her former lover for a staggering seven figures, although the exact amount she and her son are seeking has not been revealed.

Her lawyer, Fernando Osuna, told the UK media the family planned to claim "for moral, psychological and spiritual damages" as well as compensation "because Javier has suffered so much".

"Can you imagine how he has suffered without the support of a father? Can you imagine the children asking him in the playground, 'Where's your dad? Why's he never around?'" The Su n reported Mr Osuna as saying.

Ms Santos, who says she's spent decades trying to prove the paternity, has also spoken publicly about the scandal.

"Julio has not once met his son. What kind of a man does that?" she said, according to The Sun.

"We have suffered so much and faced so many problems — we went through terrible times.

"I cannot describe the happiness we feel after fighting for so many years. For Javier, his whole world has changed."

Julio Iglesias has three legitimate children with first wife Isabel Preysler — Chábeli, Julio Jr and Enrique Iglesias.

That relationship ended in divorce in 1979, and Julio went on to remarry Dutch model Miranda Rijnsburger in 2010.

They have five children together — Miguel Alejandro, Rodrigo, twins Cristina and Victoria and Guillermo Iglesias, and the family now live in the Dominican Republic.

For decades, Julio has been rumoured to have bedded 3000 women, with countless articles published on the claim.

The star has never confirmed the number, although in a 2004 interview with CBS News he claimed the real figure was far higher.

"That (3000 figure) probably was until 1976, so they didn't count the other women," he told the publication.

His pop-star son Enrique Iglesias rose to mainstream fame in the early noughties with hits such as Hero and Don't Turn Off The Lights.

He has been in a relationship with Russian tennis champ Anna Kournikova since 2001, and the pair welcomed twins Nicholas and Lucy in 2017.