SYDNEY — Oscar-winning Australian actress Nicole Kidman is pregnant and has pulled out of shooting her next film "The Reader," her publicist said on Tuesday.

"Nicole Kidman and Keith Urban confirmed today that they are expecting a baby," Kidman’s publicist Wendy Day said in a statement. "The couple are thrilled."

Kidman, 40, has been pregnant once before with her ex-husband Tom Cruise but suffered a miscarriage. Kidman and Cruise adopted two children, Isabella and Connor.

Rumors of Kidman’s pregnancy have circulated for a few weeks, with reports she told her family over Christmas holidays in Australia that she was expecting.

Kidman’s publicist and a close personal friend, Wendy Day, said she only learned this morning of the pregnancy.

"For years I’ve seen speculation and for years it’s never been right, so I didn’t think it was right this time," Day told local media. "And then she’s just rung this morning."

"I personally didn’t know, so I’m excited today, very excited," Day told Australian Associated Press.

Kidman married Urban in Sydney in 2006.

Grammy-winning Urban spent two months in a rehab centre after the wedding, but did not disclose the nature of his treatment. He has acknowledged an addiction to cocaine in the past and credits Kidman with seeing him through his crisis.

For most of 2007, Kidman was in Australia filming Baz Luhrmann’s big budget epic "Australia" with Hugh Jackman. She plays an English aristocrat who inherits a massive cattle station in outback Australia prior to World War II.

Kidman was due in early 2008 to start filming the post-World War II drama "The Reader," directed by Stephen Daldry who helmed the "The Hours" which won Kidman best actress Oscar.

She has withdrawn from "The Reader" due to her pregnancy.

"I understand she’s had to withdraw from the film and therefore she’s had to give them the reason, and therefore she’s now able to confirm that she’s pregnant," said Day.

"I don’t know how far pregnant she is, or when the baby’s due. She just simply rang me and said, ‘Wendy I always told you I would tell you first, and I’d confirm it and you could make the appropriate announcement,’" said Day.

"So I guess that statement ends all the rumors and ... I guess the poor girl will be hounded by paparazzi and all that."

Kidman’s big-budget fantasy "The Golden Compass," now in cinemas, has been an international hit with worldwide sales to date of about US$300 million.

Kidman is one of Hollywood’s top actresses, but says for the moment her marriage to country music star Keith Urban takes priority over her career.

Kidman, who says she "spontaneously" chooses most of her roles, has had some recent high-profile flops, like 2004’s "The Stepford Wives," 2005’s "Bewitched," and 2007’s "The Invasion."

She says earning a high salary for a big film lets her pick smaller art house films that she wants to do like "Margot at the Wedding," which was released in late 2007. – Reuters