GWYNETH PALTROW - GWYNETH THRILLED ABOUT PREGNANCY

Tight-lipped actress GWYNETH PALTROW has spoken for the first time about her 'joy' at being pregnant.

In a new interview, the SYLVIA beauty refuses to confirm or deny she secretly wed CHRIS MARTIN earlier this month (DEC03), but gushes about being an expectant mother,

She says, "I don't think anything prepares you for the moment when you know you are pregnant. It is the sort of thing that happens to other people and you share their joy, but when it is your own it is totally different.

"I keep thinking about this baby growing inside me and, while we already feel as if we have a family, we cannot really wait to meet him or her.

"When I had the first scan, Chris was there and we just looked at the screen totally amazed. I have never seen anything like itÂ… It is really exciting and our friends are probably already bored with listening to our baby talk."

She adds of her COLDPLAY lover, "Chris is just as excited as I am. He's a great guy and I am sure he will be a great dad, too."

And while she's keeping quiet on whether they've tied the knot or not, Gwyneth insist marriage is an important business - too serious to be made into a media circus.

She continues, "Getting married is a serious move. Of course, it's fun to have a new ring to show off and it's great to have a wedding with all your friends telling you how nice you look, but, after all, there is a marriage and you have to be prepared to make it work forever."