Bryan Adams to be a father

Bryan Adams is to become a father for the first time.

The 51-year-old rocker and his personal assistant, Alicia Grimaldi, are expecting a baby in May.

Bryan told TV show Entertainment Tonight Canada: "Alicia Grimaldi and I are expecting a baby. She helped me start my foundation years ago and it looks like she'll be running the family now!"

Insiders claim the baby news is likely to come as a shock to friends of Alicia, who is believed to be living with the singer-and-photographer in London.

One insider said: "Many of their friends still don't even know that they are a couple, but they are living together at his house."

A spokesperson for Bryan declined to comment on the nature of their relationship, but Bryan added: "Thanks for your support and kind messages, we appreciate it greatly."

Alicia is a charity activist and one of the trustees of the Bryan Adams Foundation, a charity registered in the UK.

According to the foundation's website, she graduated from the prestigious Cambridge University in 2001 with a degree in social and political sciences.

The 'Everything I Do (I Do It for You)' hitmaker is currently on an acoustic tour of the US, and also called for other pop stars to get behind relief efforts in earthquake-stricken Japan.

He tweeted: "Calling all the great musicians and singers in the world, we should do a concert for Japan."