Updated on 6 March 2020: Katy Perry has responded to suggestions that her pregnancy with her fiancé, Orlando Bloom, was an accident, insisting that motherhood has always been one of the goals she’s wanted to achieve.

Speaking to SiriusXM’s Mikey Piff, the Roar singer said: “Well, it wasn’t an accident. I’m so grateful for everything that I have been able to do and achieve, all the goals I’ve been able to check off my list, the life I’ve lived thus far. I’ve just been trying to create this space in my own life where I’m not running myself too ragged and creating space for something new to happen like this.”

She added: “We’re both looking forward to this new interval of life and sharing this. That’s kind of how it happens.”

As reported on 5 March 2020: Perry first confirmed that she’s expecting a baby with Bloom via her new song, Never Worn White.

Wearing a full-length white gown in the song’s official music video, Perry sings: “You asked the question, I said, ‘Yes.’ But I’m scared ‘cause I’ve never worn white.”

Perry promises to give her “blood, sweat and tears” to reach her and Bloom’s destiny, and says she sees the pair of them “in 60 years with a full family tree”. And then, as the video fades to a close, fans are given a sideways shot of Perry in a sheer dress cradling her pregnancy bump.

Watch the video for Katy Perry’s Never Worn White below:

Shortly after the premiere of Never Worn White, Perry confirmed her pregnancy via Instagram Stories.

“There’s a lot that will be happening this summer,” she said, flashing the camera downwards to her stomach. “Not only will I be giving birth – literally – but also figuratively to something you guys have been waiting for.

“I’m excited, we’re excited, and happy. It’s probably the longest secret I’ve ever had to keep. I thought I would tell you guys in the best way – through a piece of music.”

And later, writing on Twitter, Perry added that she was glad she no longer had to carry around a big purse to hide her bump from the tabloids.

Perry’s joke quickly began trending on Twitter, with tens of thousands of people responding with excited congratulatory messages. 

However, it’s important to note that her tweet has underlined an important point: her celebrity pregnancy announcement is starkly different to others we have seen in recent weeks.

Why? Because Perry confirmed the news herself – and only when she felt happy and comfortable doing so. 

Over the past few days alone, Sophie Turner and Kate Middleton have both been trailed by paparazzi desperate to get a glimpse at their stomachs. Every little thing they’ve said has been analysed and turned over by the tabloids. And every move they’ve made has been questioned, be it sipping a pint of Guinness or carrying a dog (yes, really).

Neither woman has stated that they are pregnant, via a music video or otherwise. Both, however, have been subjected to endless pregnancy speculation. And they are by far from the only ones: Jennifer Aniston, Eva Longoria, Lili Reinhart, Taylor Swift, Princess Eugenie, Miley Cyrus and countless others have all been subjected to unsubstantiated pregnancy reports in the past, too.

Yes, confirmed baby news is an absolute joy – but baby speculation is so much more than “harmless fun”. After all, there are so many reasons someone may be reluctant to talk about her “pregnancy”. One more time, for those at the back? There are so many reasons. Maybe that woman in the spotlight is not pregnant, simply bloated after eating a delicious sandwich. Maybe she just wanted to wear an empire-line dress (they’re comfortable!). Maybe she felt good in her bikini until the world decided she was expecting. Maybe she doesn’t want to have children at all, and feels frustrated and angry when people assume she does.

Then again, maybe she and her partner are struggling to conceive, and every time someone assumes they’ve a baby on the way, it’s like a slap in the face. Maybe she knows all too well that “baby bump” is actually due to an underlying health issue you’re not aware of. Maybe she’s experienced several miscarriages in the past, and doesn’t want to discuss her pregnancy until she feels certain that this baby will survive.

Or maybe she is bloody pregnant but (shock horror) doesn’t want to share her news with thousands of strangers around the world.

You get the picture.

So a massive congratulations to Perry and Bloom: not just because they seem a lovely couple, but because news that a wanted child is on its way into the world is always a wonderful thing. But here’s hoping that this very public baby announcement teaches us all a vital lesson about when it’s OK to discuss a woman’s womb.

Namely, when she starts the conversation herself.

Images: Getty