Denise Lewis is expecting her fourth baby, and has unveiled a gorgeous new photograph of herself and her bump on social media, ahead of the birth. The black-and-white picture shows the mum-of-three cradling her stomach, looking happy and relaxed. In the caption, Denise admitted that she was both excited and nervous for the baby's arrival, and the star later revealed in the comments section that she was preparing for sleepless nights. She wrote: "When your baby gives you a good old kick during a photoshoot with the king of black and white photography "GregWInsight. The moment captured the pregnancy journey nearly coming to an end. #photostocherish #excited #nervous #number4."

Denise Lewis looked stunning in a new photo Credit: Greg Williams

The Team GB star announced her pregnancy with husband of 12 years, Steve Finan O'Connor, in July. Denise made the surprise announcement on Twitter, where she shared a photograph of herself in a bikini whilst cradling her bump. "Well Twitter friends, I haven't let myself go. I'm eating for two. Excited and a little nervous even though I have been here before, but hoping for a healthy and trouble free pregnancy #number4 #oldermom #babynews," she wrote besides the image. Denise and Steve share two sons, Ryan, 12, and Kane, nine, and Denise is also mum to teenage daughter Lauryn, 16, from her first marriage to Patrick Stevens.

Denise is expecting her fourth child in December

Shortly after announcing her pregnancy, Denise spoke to HELLO! about the moment she discovered she was having another baby, who is due in December. She said: "I really wasn't well – feeling feverish then cold – so I went to the doctor to find out if I had flu and they did a blood test. I thought: 'Okay, this is it. I'm pre-menopausal.' Then Steve said: 'Are you sure you're not pregnant?'" The sports star continued: "'Hmm I didn't think of that; let's check.' Then: 'Oh my goodness – it is possible.'" Steve, the son of Liverpool comedian Tom O'Connor, added: "I was ecstatic when we found out. Denise is an amazing mum and she loves babies. I've told her she needs to open a birthing suite if she wants anymore."

The couple decided to wait until they had had the 20-week scan before telling their children, with Denise hiding her bump under baggy clothing. "Lauryn was going through her GCSEs and I didn’t want to drop a bombshell on her," she explained. "I didn't know how they were going to react. She might have been thinking: 'What are you old people doing?' Even building up to that, I wondered what people would think. I'm 45, going on 46 – 'You've got three children already. Do you need more?'" "There was a few cogs going on in the back of the mind, but I was very touched by the response. Very touched," Denise added. "I saw Gabby Logan at work the other day and she said how jealous she was that I was going through the baby thing all over again. I’m really excited now."