U.S. singer Madonna performs on stage during her "Sticky and Sweet" tour at the Danube island in Vienna September 23, 2008.[Agencies]

Madonna has reportedly spoken to estranged husband Guy Ritchie for the first time in weeks in a bid to settle their divorce out of court.

The 50-year-old singer - who announced earlier this month she and Guy are splitting after nearly eight years of marriage - is believed to have made an emotional phone call to the director on Tuesday night to come to an amicable agreement about the separation.

A source told the MailOnline website: "It was a very emotional call and a sign of the desperation Madonna feels for them to settle before things start getting more serious legally.

"Madonna tried to remind Guy of all the good times, said how they must settle before it got any more messy and public.

She said she had always worked so hard to provide for the family. She said she had been saddened by some of the criticisms of her which appeared to have come from his camp."

Madonna, who raises three children with Guy, was reportedly encouraged to contact her estranged spouse by her Kabbalah spiritual leader Rabbi Berg.

Berg wants the couple to remain on speaking terms so the reputation of Kabbalah, a mystical offshoot of Judaism, is not damaged.

A source close to Madonna said after the tearful conversation, the singer cried openly in front of her staff for the first time, after the strain of their bitter split took its toll.

(Agencies/China Daily October 31, 2008)