McCartneys show their baby joy

Paul McCartney placed his arms proudly around his pregnant wife’s barely noticeable bump tonight as the pair posed briefly for the cameras.

The ex-Beatle and Heather Mills-McCartney smiled and joked with photographers ahead of the music legend’s sell-out concert at the 12,000-seat Sheffield Arena.

In their first public appearance since the news of the baby was announced, Sir Paul hugged his wife with both arms around her middle and joked “I can’t think why you want a photo.”

They disappeared back inside the venue after a couple of minutes with the former Beatle saying: “We’re not doing any talking.”

Mills-McCartney wore all white, sporting a Sergeant Pepper-style military jacket and a white frilly heart motif on the back of her jeans.

Sir Paul wore a casual black suit over an open-necked white shirt.

Bystanders watching the short appearance said they were certain Ms Mills-McCartney had a small bump.

The 60-year-old singer and his second wife have been trying for a baby since they married in Ireland in June 2002 and Sir Paul will become a sexagenarian father when the baby arrives later this year.

Rumours of a pregnancy began circulating in March when Mills- McCartney was reportedly spotted outside a childbirth clinic near the couple’s north London home.

It will be the first child for the 34-year-old, and the fifth for Sir Paul.

He is father to Mary, 33, Stella, 31, and James, 25, and stepfather to Heather, 39, all by his first wife Linda.

Mills-McCartney has made no secret of her longing for a baby and only three months ago told of her fears that she would never conceive.

The ex-model, who lost a leg in a road accident 10 years ago, claimed a catalogue of health problems had damaged her fertility.

The couple said yesterday they were “delighted with this happy news”.