The little girl at the centre of Madonna adoption riddle

Malawian officials revealed the singer had been planning to adopt 18-month-old Jessica Kondanani before choosing David Banda after discovering how ill he was.

They still expect her to return to the impoverished African country to formalise her adoption of Jessica, who was found abandoned under a bush.

However her plans are likely to be thwarted because an Australian couple are already in the middle of adopting the youngster.

Australian missionaries Angela and John Wilmot spoke of their fears that their plans could be put in jeopardy by the 48-year-old pop queen.

Madonna recently revealed that she plans to adopt a baby girl as soon as possible, and they have been told she was referring to Jessica.

In an interview with Closer magazine Mrs Wilmot, 34, said: 'We heard that Madonna was interested in a child, who we now hear is Jessica - but we are quite far down the line with our adoption'.

The couple, who moved to Malawi seven years ago with their two sons and have already adopted four children there, already had the adoption process underway when the singer lodged her intention to give Jessica a home.

Madonna spent two hours with the little girl at the Kondanani Orphan Care Centre at Blantyre earlier this year.

Penstone Kilembe, Malawi's Minister of Child Welfare, said: 'Her first choice, before David, was Jessica Kondanani. We suspect she was abandoned by her mother - possibly a schoolgirl'.

Mrs Wilmot said: 'We knew Madonna was at the orphanage and she had met all the kids but we were already in the process of adopting Jessica and we hope we will be successful'.

The star went on to meet 13-month-old David Banda at the Home of Hope orphanage in Mchinji and said it was 'love at first sight'.

However she and her husband, film producer Guy Ritchie, made a second visit to see Jessica when the process to adopt David was underway.

Cherrie Martin, deputy director of the Kondanani Orphan Care Centre, said: 'Madonna is a lovely lady. Very down to earth and very caring. She really loved Jessica when she met her'.

The Wilmots added that they supported the singers planned adoption of David.

The 13-month-old has been flown to live with her at her £7.5 million Marble Arch home while she waits for his adoption to be formalised.

Earlier this month Madonna, who has two biological children, Lourdes, ten, and Rocco, six, said she planned to adopt a second child from Malawi.

'I'm going to adopt another Malawian child very quickly. A baby girl this time, in order to redress the balance', she told Paris Match magazine.'

She said Lourdes and Rocco would be involved in choosing their new sister but she wanted them to get used to David first.

Madonna faced a furious backlash over her adoption of David.

News she had been granted an interim order to remove him despite rules stating adoptive parents should live in Malawi for a 18 months sparked fury amongst childrens' charities, church groups and aid organisations.

Even David's father appeared to have turned against her after he claimed he had not fully understood what he had signed.

A ruling on whether The Human Rights Consultative Committee - representing 67 groups across the country - could mount a legal challenge against his adoption was postponed until next week.

A spokeswoman for Madonna said she did not want to comment.