Britney Spears says she's pregnant

LOS ANGELES - Britney Spears announced today that she was pregnant with her first child, ending months of speculation over whether the pop princess was launching a new career as a mother.

Spears, 23, who married dancer Kevin Federline last September in a surprise, private ceremony, made the announcement in a posting to fans on her official website.

"The time has finally come to share our wonderful news that we are expecting our first child together. There were reports that I was in the hospital this weekend. Kevin and I just want everyone to know that all is well. Thank you for your thoughts and prayers. Love Britney and Kevin," the brief posting said.

No further details were available. The child will be a first for Spears but a third for Federline, who has two young children by his former girlfriend, actress Shar Jackson.

Spears has made no secret of her desire to become a young mother, writing on her website last October that she "can't wait to start a family".

Shortly after her wedding to Federline, she announced she was taking a few months off to "just chill" and enjoy married life with her new husband.

But that did not stop celebrity magazines and paparazzi photographers from following her every move, snapping her on the beach and shopping in maternity stores. Some reported that the marriage was already on the rocks.

Spears and Federline were married only eight months after Spears wed a former high school sweetheart in Las Vegas in a spur of the moment arrangement that was quickly annulled.

Spears became a world-wide pop phenomenon in the late 1990s when she shot to fame at the age of 15 with her 1999 debut "...Baby One More Time."

She has since sold more than 60 million albums and became the first female performer in the history of Billboard magazine to have her first three albums open at No.1 on the pop album chart.

She released a greatest hits album last November, launched her own perfume "Curious", but put touring, performances and public appearances on hold after her marriage.

There was no immediate word on how motherhood would affect her future career plans but Spears and Federline recently signed a deal to star in their own television reality series, which will document their courtship and wedding, and now, presumably, her pregnancy.

The first episode of the untitled series is expected to air before the end of May.

- REUTERS