Image caption Adele won two Brit awards in February

Pop star Adele is expecting her first child, she has told fans via a message on her website.

The 24-year-old said she and her partner Simon Konecki were "delighted to announce" that they were expecting their first child together.

"Obviously we're over the moon and very excited but please respect our privacy at this precious time," she said.

The London-born singer had the world's biggest-selling album last year with 21, which sold more than 17m copies.

More than 4 million of those copies were sold in the UK, where 21 is now the fifth best-selling album in chart history.

The record largely deals with the painful break-up of Adele's previous relationship. It has earned her six Grammys, two Brits and two Ivor Novello awards.

The singer has been dating Konecki, who established the Drop4Drop charity, since last year.

Adele was recently forced to deny UK tabloid reports that the couple were engaged, after she was seen wearing a ring to an awards ceremony.

"I'm not engaged, blah blah," she wrote on Twitter.