Gwen Stefani has revealed that keeping her pregnancy a secret then giving birth were a lot harder than she thought it would be.

Gwen gave birth to her first child, Kingston, in May last year but has told Elle magazine it was awkward juggling the pressures of being pregnant while performing on an extensive solo tour.

She told the magazine: “I thought I was going to be one of those Mother Nature girls. I figured, ‘I’ll just squeeze it out, ’cause I’m really strong and I work out and stuff.’”

“I would be seriously crying before I went onstage. I didn’t know how I was going to get through the tour, putting on nine costume changes on a stage in front of 12,000 people every night. And I didn’t want people to know [I was pregnant].

“I didn’t want to become The Gwen Freak Circus Show - watch it grow onstage.

After weeks of rumours, Gwen eventually confirmed she was expecting at a show in Florida in December 2005 and asked the crowd to sing her song ‘Crash’ loudly enough for the unborn baby to hear their voices.

And Kingston has been involved in Gwen’s musical world every since: “He goes with me everywhere, ’cause I’m still nursing. He’s been to every studio in L.A., New York, London.”

“Kingston is so chill. He lives up to his name - total Rasta boy. He gives me real balance. You can go 100 miles an hour, but you still have to stop to hang out with him.”