Aishwarya Rai, the Bollywood actress and former Miss World, is pregnant with her first child. Aishwarya has been married to the actor Abhishek Bachchan for more than four years and the couple have fended off pregnancy rumours over the past year, reports Reuters India.
The pregnancy was first announced after Bachchan's father took to this Twitter account on Tuesday (21st June 2011) to announce, "I am going to become a grandfather . Aishwarya expecting. So happy and thrilled!!!" Rai's media manager confirmed the news shortly afterwards but did not give any more details. Aishwarya, who regularly features in the 'World's Most Beautiful' lists, has worked on numerous Bollywood and Hollywood films but has taken on far fewer projects in recent years. She currently has no films under production, but it was announced at the Cannes Film Festival she had signed on to star in Madhur Bhandarkar's 'Heroine', scheduled for release in 2012. The actress gained the attention of Bollywood through her performance in 'Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam' in 1999, which won her the Filmfare Best Actress Award. The 2006 action movie 'Dhoom 2', still represents her biggest commercial success in India.
In 1994, Aishwarya Rai won the 'Miss World' contest, whilst also scooping the title of 'Miss Photogenic'. Following her triumph, she spent one year in London and continued her modelling career before turning to acting.