US singer Barbra Streisand has said Michael Jackson's accusers were "thrilled" to be at his Neverland ranch - and that the alleged abuse "didn't kill them".

In an interview with The Times in the UK, the Oscar-winning actress said she believed the allegations made by James Safechuck and Wade Robson in the documentary Leaving Neverland.

The men claim the pop star sexually abused them from the ages of 10 and seven respectively after inviting them and their families to his Neverland ranch.

Streisand said she felt bad for both men but failed to blame Jackson.

"His sexual needs were his sexual needs, coming from whatever childhood he has or whatever DNA he has," she said.

"You can say 'molested', but those children, as you heard say (the grown-up Robson and Safechuck), they were thrilled to be there.

"They both married and they both have children, so it didn't kill them."

When asked if she was angry with the late singer, she added: "It's a combination of feelings. I feel bad for the children. I feel bad for him.

"I blame, I guess, the parents, who would allow their children to sleep with him. Why would Michael need these little children dressed like him and in the shoes and the dancing and the hats?"

The documentary was met with a furious reaction by the Jackson estate, which denied the allegations and lambasted it as "an outrageous and pathetic attempt to exploit and cash in" on the superstar.

The alleged victims' mothers, Stephanie Safechuck and Joy Robson, both appeared in Leaving Neverland to recount their experiences with Jackson.

Stephanie said she "failed to protect" her son while Joy said she regretted her decision to leave her child with Jackson at his Neverland ranch.

Main image: Barbra Streisand attends 'Tribeca Talks Storytellers: Barbara Streisand' at the Tribeca Film Festival in New York in April 2017 | Image: Sonia Moskowitz/Zuma Press/PA Images