Proud mother-to-be Halle Berry showed off her baby bump at last night's premiere of her new film, Things We Lost in the Fire.

The Oscar-winning actress, who is four months' pregnant, braved the cold October evening in Leicester Square dressed in beautiful low-cut, backless, blue Versace gown.

Berry, 41, spent more than half an hour signing autographs and showing off her bump to photographers.

Asked about how it felt to be pregnant, the actress described it as "fantastic".

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She said that she did not know whether the baby was a boy or a girl and added that she had not thought of any names.

The baby's father is Berry's boyfriend, model Gabriel Aubry who is 10 years her junior.

The couple met while shooting an advert for Versace in 2005.

The actress has been married twice - to baseball star David Justice and singer Eric Benet - but both marriages ended in divorce.

In her latest film, Berry plays a grief-stricken widow with two children.

She invites her late husband's best friend, played by Benicio Del Toro, to move into her home but his presence has unexpected consequences for her and her family.

The actress said she knew she was ready for children after playing the role.

"I knew from playing a mother in this movie and having two adorable smart children around me all the time that I was meant to be a mother.

"It's no mystery that right after we finished the movie it manifested itself in my life because I think I subconsciously knew 'Yes, I can do this. I'm really, really ready'."

Berry, one of Hollywood's highest paid actresses, won an Oscar in 2002 for Monster's Ball.

But not all her performances have won critical acclaim. Catwoman in 2004 was a critical flop and earned her a worst actress award at the Razzies, the spoof Oscars ceremony.

Things We Lost in the Fire has been described by critics as a return to "proper acting" for the star. Del Toro has also been praised for one of his best performances yet, but the movie itself has had mixed reviews.

The gala screening was part of the 51st London Film Festival.

Danish filmmaker Susanne Bier directed the movie, her first in English, while Sam Mendes produced it.

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