Singer Janet Jackson, 50, confirms she is expecting first child

Singer Janet Jackson has officially confirmed she is expecting her first child, at the age of 50.

She told People magazine: "We thank God for our blessing", and posed for a picture with her growing baby bump.

Speculation about her pregnancy surfaced in April when she postponed her 'Unbreakable' tour, saying she wanted to focus on planning a family with her husband, Wissam al-Mana.

She was recently spotted in London shopping for baby essentials.

The People magazine quoted a source close to the Jackson family as saying: "She is super excited about her pregnancy and is doing extremely well. She actually feels very good about everything."

In a video posted on Twitter in April, she told her fans that she was postponing her world tour because "there's been a sudden change".

"I thought it was important that you be the first to know. My husband and I are planning our family," she said, adding: "Please if you can try and understand that its important that I do this now."

She went on to say: "I have to rest up, doctor's orders."

Profile: Janet Jackson

• Janet Damita Jo Jackson was born on 16 May 1966 in Gary, Indiana in the US
• She is the youngest of nine children and sister of late pop icon Michael Jackson
• She released her first album Janet Jackson in 1982
• She has a total of 11 albums with the most recent, Unbreakable, released in 2015
• She is a seven-time Grammy award winner
• She began her career with the family's reality TV series The Jacksons in 1976 and has since appeared in several movies such as Tyler Perry's Why Did I Get Married
• The singer married her third husband, Qatari billionaire Wissam al-Mana, in 2012.