Benedict Cumberbatch and Sophie Hunter confirm they are expecting first child

The couple, who got engaged in November, are 'both over the moon'.

18:19 08 January 2015

Benedict Cumberbatch and fiancée Sophie Hunter have confirmed that they are expecting their first child together. The confirmation was made two months after they announced their engagement.

A spokesperson for Benedict told MailOnline: 'I am delighted to confirm that Benedict Cumberbatch and Sophie Hunter are expecting their first child. They are both over the moon.'

It was the New York Post’s Page Six that first confirmed the report. A source told the site: 'Sophie is a few months along, and both she and Benedict are very excited about it. They are also quietly planning to marry in early spring.'

The source added that the couple will get married in the next few months, sooner than previously expected.

The 38-year-old actor has previously expressed his desire to settle down and start a family. Last year, he told Elle Japan: “It’s a wonderful thing to get married young and become a father. I used to think that I’d get married by my mid-thirties and have children.”

In 2013, he told Event magazine: 'I was happy as an only child, but I’ve always wanted to be part of a bigger family. I would love to have children.

‘Everyone wants to know when I’m going to settle down and who is going to be Mrs Cumberbatch. I can’t wait to do an interview like this and just talk about my child.‘