Britney Spears announces pregnancy on Web site

NEW YORK -- Britney Spears has revealed what might be Hollywood's worst-kept secret: She's pregnant.

In a posting on her Web site, Spears told fans that she and husband, Kevin Federline, were expecting their first child together.

Her publicist, Sonia Muckle, confirmed the singer's pregnancy Tuesday but refused to provide additional details.

"The time has finally come to share our wonderful news that we are expecting our first child together," the singer said.

"There are reports that I was in the hospital this weekend, and Kevin and I just want everyone to know that all is well. Thank you for your thoughts and prayers."

The couple were married in September. Magazines and tabloids have speculated for weeks that Spears, 23, was pregnant, documenting her expanding waistline and fuller figure, but she remained mum on the subject.

However, she has previously expressed a desire to start a family. In an interview with People magazine last fall, she said: "I want to be a young mom. I can see us as parents."

Dancer turned husband

While this will be Spears' first foray into parenthood, Federline, 27, has two children with his ex-girlfriend, actress Shar Jackson. Spears and Federline met last year when he was a backup dancer on her tour -- and Jackson was pregnant with their son.

Spears wed Federline just eight months after ending a 55-hour Las Vegas marriage to her childhood friend, Jason Alexander.

Her second marriage has provided endless fodder for tabloids, which have speculated that the union is in trouble -- prompting an angry outburst from Spears on her Web site last month.

Yet the couple have hardly hid from the limelight -- last week, the pair announced they would document their courtship in a new reality series on UPN. The network promised "exclusive, never-before-seen private home videos" of their "personal love story."

Spears' impending motherhood may be the ultimate indicator that the former teen princess is all grown up. Spears was cast as an innocent with a bit of sex appeal when she made her debut at 16 with the multiplatinum "... Baby, One More Time" and became a youth icon. As she grew older, her image got sexier, and more vampish.

Her last album was a greatest hits collection, which has sold nearly 1 million copies.

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On the Net:

http://www.britneyspears.com