Madonna and Family Back in the States

Madonna and Guy Ritchie have retreated from London to Los Angeles, where they are patching things up after a bumpy period in their marriage, her father-in-law says in a magazine interview.

"L.A. seems to have helped them. It's easier out there because there is less pressure. They seem to have left the bumps they were having over here behind them," John Ritchie was quoted as saying in an interview with Closer magazine.

Reports of a rift in the marriage circulated recently, especially after the 47-year-old pop star didn't thank her film director-husband after winning a Brit Award in February.

Ritchie, 37, and Madonna have a son, Rocco, 5, and the singer also has a daughter, Lourdes, 9. The couple were married Dec. 22, 2000.