Paris Hilton has always liked to shock, but this time the surprise was a happy one in the form of a bouncing baby boy.
On Tuesday, the 41-year-old socialite revealed that she and husband Carter Reum had secretly welcomed a their first child via a surrogate.
"You are already loved beyond words," Paris wrote alongside a picture of her manicured hand entwined with her son's.
And in statement issued to People magazine, the Hilton hotel heiress told how becoming a mother is something she'd wished for for a long time.
"It's always been my dream to be a mother and I'm so happy that Carter and I found each other," she said.
"We are so excited to start our family together and our hearts are exploding with love for our baby boy."
Paris first opened up about her IVF journey in January 2021, revealing that she and Carter had started the 'tough' process in a bid to ensure that she could have twins - a girl and a boy.
"We have been doing the IVF, so I can pick twins if I like," she told The Trend Reporter with Mara podcast.
She continued: "It was tough, but I knew it would be worth it. I did it a couple of times.
"Just doing it together and having a partner that is just so supportive and always makes me feel just like a princess all the time... that it wasn't that bad."
Paris' mum Kathy, however, told a different story, giving an emotional interview to E! News where she claimed her daughter had been struggling to conceive for some time.
The 63-year-old reality star said: "It breaks my heart because I know she is trying and trying and I always say, 'just relax'. So many people, they struggle and it doesn't just happen like that."
But Paris hit back insisting there were no fertility issues, explaining that she simply that they had been 'stocking up' to get 'tonnes of embryos' in the bank.
"I don’t know where she got that - it's never been a struggle at all," she fumed.
The former Simple Life star has, however, revealed the one piece of advice that was a game-changer in her quest to start a family - and it came from former bestie, Kim Kardashian.
Kim and ex-husband Kanye West conceived daughter North naturally but turned to IVF for son Saint. Pregnancy complications then led them to have Chicago and Psalm by a surrogate, all under the guidance of Beverly Hills IVF 'magician' Dr Andy Huang, according to Vogue.
And it was Dr Huang and IVF treatment that Kim introduced Paris to - a move she will be forever grateful for.
"[Kim was the one] who told me about that. I didn't even know anything about it," Paris said.
"I'm happy that she told me that advice and introduced me to her doctor. 'I'm really excited to just move on for the next step of my life, and finally just have, like, a real life.
"Because I really do believe that having a family and having children is the meaning of life.
"And I haven't got to experience that yet, because I didn't feel like anybody deserved that love from me, and now I finally found the person who does."
Paris has previously said that she hoped to have 'two or three' children with Carter - who she married in November 2021 - with a boy first.
Carter, 40, already has a child with reality star Laura Bellizzi, who starred in the short-lived VH-1 series Secrets Of Aspen.
A report in the New York Post's Page Six claimed that Carter has only met his daughter 'once', and she is believed to be about 10 years old.
In response, his spokesperson said: "The people who this story matters to have known about it for 10 years. Carter supports this child. While he does not have a traditional father-daughter relationship with her, he has provided for her since she was born, and will continue to do so."
