Britney’s no longer a girl as she announces pregnancy

BRITNEY SPEARS, the one-time teenybopper who sang “I’m Not a Girl, Not Yet a Woman,” has apparently completed the transition with news that she’s pregnant.

On her website, Spears told fans she and husband Kevin Federline were expecting their first child.

"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."

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 a recent interview she said: "I want to be a young mom. I can see us as parents."

Spears and Federline met last year when he was a backup dancer on her tour. Federline, 27, has two children with ex-girlfriend actress Shar Jackson.

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 website last month.

Last week, the pair announced they would document their courtship in a new eality TV series. The show promises "exclusive, never-before-seen private home videos" of their "personal love story".