'Lucky us!' Cat Deeley and Patrick Kielty announce they're expecting their first child together

Cat Deeley, 38, and Patrick Kielty, 44, are expecting their first child together in 2016, after three years of marriage. 

The So You Think You Can Dance presenter and her partner - who she married in a secret ceremony in Rome, Italy, in 2012 - said they were 'so happy' after sharing the news via Twitter.

She gushed on Thursday: 'Exciting news... Paddy and I are so happy to be expecting our first child in the spring... Lucky us.'

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Pregnant: Cat Deeley (right, here on Tuesday) and Patrick Kielty (left) have announced that they are expecting their first child together after three years of marriage

Pregnant: Cat Deeley (right, here on Tuesday) and Patrick Kielty (left) have announced that they are expecting their first child together after three years of marriage

The couple were friends for 10 years before they tied the knot and the 44-year-old star recently insisted there was 'always a spark' between them before their relationship became romantic.

Arlene Philips and Nigel Harmen were the first stars to send their well-wishings, as she said: 'Exciting indeed. Love to you both' 

He added: 'Well the cat's truly out of the bag! The news has been released. @catdeeley is pregnant! Congratulations sweetheart x' 

Exciting news: Cat couldn't wait to share the news via her Twitter account

Exciting news: Cat couldn't wait to share the news via her Twitter account

Lucky us! The pair announced their special news via Twitter on Thursday

Lucky us! The pair announced their special news via Twitter on Thursday

Throwback: The duo met when they presented Fame Academy in the UK together in 2002 (here in July 2013)

Throwback: The duo met when they presented Fame Academy in the UK together in 2002 (here in July 2013)

The news comes just a month after the Northern Irish presenter joked about the possibility of having children with his 38-year-old wife.

He said: 'I hope any child we might have has Cat's looks and my accent. With our two strong accents, we basically needed subtitles or a UN translator.' 

Patrick said: 'There was always a little bit of a spark between us but either she was with someone or I was with someone and by the time we were both single she was in America. It was always one of those things that never worked out.

Back in the day: The couple didn't go public as a couple until over a decade later

Back in the day: The couple didn't go public as a couple until over a decade later

A whole lotta history: when the couple (seen here in October 2002) got married, they said they really didn't care where or when they did it

A whole lotta history: when the couple (seen here in October 2002) got married, they said they really didn't care where or when they did it

'Women tend to be in charge and we men just have to get on the pitch, stand on the leg that's shaking most and not drop the ball when it comes our way.' 

The pair met when they presented Fame Academy together in 2002 and remained friends for almost a decade before making their debut as a couple in March 2012 and they married six months later. 

Cat hit the big time in the States in 2006 when she began to host the US dance show SYTYCD, while Paddy's work remained in the UK.

Hitting the big time; Cat (seen here in 2006) hit the big time in America with her show So You Think You Can Dance? on Fox

Hitting the big time; Cat (seen here in 2006) hit the big time in America with her show So You Think You Can Dance? on Fox

Despite their transatlantic romance, the pair say they never spend more than two weeks apart. 

Their surprise wedding at St Isidore's College Church was an intimate affair that with immediate family and six friends each.

He explained afterwards that they 'didn't really care where we did it, we just wanted to be married,' during an interview with The Belfast Telegraph.

Laughing it off: Cat's producer shared a joke with her via text when she shared the news

Laughing it off: Cat's producer shared a joke with her via text when she shared the news

Cute twosome: They married in a secret ceremony in Rome, Italy, in 2012

Cute twosome: They married in a secret ceremony in Rome, Italy, in 2012

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