Halle Berry: Second Pregnancy At 46 ‘Biggest Surprise Of my Life’

If you were shocked to learn that Halle Berry is expecting her second child at 46 years old, you’re in good company. The Oscar-winning actress called the pregnancy the “biggest surprise” of her life.

“I feel fantastic. This has been the biggest surprise of my life to tell you the truth,” Berry told CNN’s Alina Cho. “I thought I was kind of past the point where this could be a reality for me. So it’s been a big surprise and the most wonderful.”

Contrary to initial reports, Berry said she doesn’t know the baby’s sex yet.

This is Berry’s first child with fiancé Olivier Martinez, whom she has been engaged to since March 2012. She also has a 5-year-old daughter, Nahla, with ex-boyfriend Gabriel Aubry.

Berry also talked about her partnership with clothing designer Michael Kors and his work with the United Nations World Food Programme to fight hunger, and how being a mother inspired her to help hungry children. The World Food Programme brings food to more than 90 million people in over 75 countries.

“Especially now, being a pregnant woman and already having a child … it’s so important what happens to the baby while they’re in utero,” Berry said. “And the first 1,000 days is fundamental.”

Berry has previously worked with the Jenesse Center, which is the largest domestic violence intervention program in South Los Angeles. She said the segue from the center to the World Food Programme “has been a natural segue for me, because I care so much about women and children.”

“I’m a mom, and that’s first and foremost, but it gives me another reason to exist, another purpose,” she added. “And if I know that I’m helping one person every day in some way, that really makes me feel good, and that’s a legacy that I can leave to my children.”

Were you surprised to learn that Halle Berry is expecting a second child at 46?