Singer Beverley Knight has said she thought she was pregnant at first when her stomach swelled as she suffered from muscular tumours in her uterus.

The West End star recently underwent a hysterectomy after she was diagnosed with uterine fibroids, and said it has been a slow recovery.

She told Hello magazine: “I noticed that my tummy was very swollen.

“At first I assumed I was pregnant. I thought ‘this cannot be happening’.

(Hello!)
(Hello!)

“I’m a proud aunty and godmum, but having children of my own has never been part of the plan.”

She continued: “When I was told that my condition was creating a high risk of a stroke or worse, I was stunned.

“I never get ill and this was a real wake-up call. It’s been a slow recovery but I should be healed completely soon.”

Knight has now joined with fellow West End stars Amber Riley and Cassidy Janson for a new show tune album Songs From The Stage.

The trio, under the group name Leading Ladies, said they immediately bonded when they started working together.

Knight said: “There was really great camaraderie and energy between the three of us. We had so much fun.”

Riley added: “I didn’t have to think twice. Although we’d never met before, we are huge fans of each other’s work.”

Read the full interview in Hello, out now.