Paloma Faith has revealed she is expecting her first child with boyfriend Leyman Lahcine. She is also looking forward to starting her journey as a new mother and plans to take a break from acting as a result.

She shared on her blog: “I am so delighted to tell you I am going to take a short while off to have a baby. I have spent my whole life wanting to be a mother and now the time has come for me to so I feel so lucky.”

Despite her fame and consistent public appearances, the 35-year-old beauty wants to keep her baby away from the spotlight. She expects to give the child a private life until he or she can decide otherwise over the years.

She added: “I hope that you will respect my new family with our privacy in a time which should be calm and without anxiety. I really do not want this child to be in the public eye as it won’t have chosen to and I hope everyone can understand that.”

The star is also asking fans not to criticize her while pregnant to help prevent unnecessary stress, saying: “I am nervous and excited about being a mum and just need to be normal and low key for a while.

Pregnancy and motherhood is a very personal thing: daunting, new and worrying at times and I don’t want to add to it by having to ‘look’ a certain way when pregnant or be photographed pregnant of with my child.

I wasn’t raised like that and I don’t want my child to be. I want the baby to have the freedom of a normal life.”

Despite wishing to take some time off to care for her baby – whose due date is still unknown – she expects to make a triumphant return soon.

“I am grateful for your understanding and promise to return fully fledged when I have this moment of solitude and new life. I am beyond happy about it,” Faith stated.