Penelope Cruz's model sister is pregnant

Monica Cruz is set to become a first-time mum thanks to artificial insemination and an anonymous sperm donor.

The 35 year old announced the news in a post on her blog for Spanish newspaper El Pais, revealing she opted to have a baby on her own due to worries it would be too late for motherhood by the time she found her perfect partner.

She is quoted as writing, "I am going to be a mother! I have managed to fulfil the dream of a lifetime. Because of that I want to share with all of you this special journey and to be able to tell you about all my experiences during this fascinating time.

"I want to tell, also, so I can have the opportunity to show my thanks to all those anonymous men that help to give many women like me, the dream of their lives. So I have decided to tell all. To become pregnant, I turned to artificial insemination. If with this I can help others who have doubts, then here you have me if you need me."

Cruz is also the older sibling of singer Eduardo Cruz.