Actress Morton confirms pregnancy

Morton rose to fame in British TV drama Band of Gold

Actress Samantha Morton has announced she is expecting a baby with her fiance, director Harry Holm.

The 30-year-old star, whose film work includes Minority Report and Enduring Love, is due to give birth in January.

"It is wonderful news, they are both very excited and looking forward to having their new baby," said Morton's publicist, Karon Maskill.

It is the couple's first child together. Morton has a seven-year-old daughter from a previous relationship.

Oscar nominations

Holm proposed in May last year during a trip to Paris for Morton's 29th birthday. The pair met when he directed Morton in a video for rock band The Victims.

The couple recently returned from the US where Morton has been shooting Charlie Kaufman film Synecdoche, New York, with Philip Seymour Hoffman.

The actress received Oscar nominations for her roles in Sweet and Lowdown and In America.

She will next be seen on the big screen playing Mary, Queen of Scots in The Golden Age - the sequel to the hit 1998 film Elizabeth.