RUSSELL Brand and Laura Gallacher have welcomed a daughter called Mabel - but the pair plan on raising the child 'gender neutral'.

The 41-year-old former Shagger of the Year reportedly announced he had become a dad for the first time at a stand-up show in Nottingham on Sunday night.

One attendee named Daniel Crann told Mirror Celeb: “He didn’t confirm if it was a girl or a boy.

4 Laura gave birth to the pair's first child last week Credit: Xposure

“He was conscious of the clock and made sure he was off stage by just approaching 9pm as he ‘needed to get down the f***ing M21 as my girlfriend has just had a baby’.”

The Daily Mail now reports that they have welcome a little girl called Mabel - but he has previously said that he hopes to raise the tot as gender neutral.

During an interview on The Jonathan Ross Show, he said: "‘Jesus Three’ I’m thinking of calling him or her. We don’t know the gender I may not even ever impose a gender upon it, let the child grow up and be the whatever the hell it is, never tell it there is such a concept.”

4 Russell told his former partner in crime that he plans on raising his child without the concept of gender Credit: ITV

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On impending fatherhood, he told the presenter: “I read a different book every week and I read one on preparation for fatherhood to mentally prepare me for it.

"I don’t know that it has prepared me for it. I’ve painted the room, I’ve done the things that you’re supposed to do, I’ve accepted the idea that that person will be more important than me."

What is gender neutral? A gender neutral approach to parenting involves trying to raise your child without assumptions or expectations based on the assigned sex of the child. It tries to minimise preconceived notions of what your child should be doing/saying/learning/playing with etc. because of their gender, both to give the child the greatest freedom to be themselves, and also to dispel notions that certain things are only for one gender, or that one gender does them better"

4 Russell and Laura got engaged in the summer Credit: WENN

Russell popped the question to 27-year-old Laura - sister of TV presenter Kirsty Gallacher – in the summer at a party for close family and friends.

He was previously married to popstar Katy Perry, but the pair divorced in 2012 after two years today.

On the proposal, Russell revealed: “I cried at my own beauty. You know when you think ‘I’m being so nice now, Oh God I think I’m going to cry’ because you’re impressed with how nice you are…

4 Russell has been gearing up to become a father after his announcement in July Credit: Instagram

“I properly planned it and put proper ideas into it and made it all nice and did like a surprise party for her and her mum helped me to organise it, get her on side!”

He confirmed he was going to become a father in July after uploading a snap on Instagram showing him looking engrossed in a copy of Dean Beaumont’s book, The Expectant Dad’s Handbook.

He wrote alongside it: “Right then. My Mum bought me this. Time to get ready!”

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