Celine Dion says she's pregnant

MONTREAL - Singer Celine Dion, who took a break from performing to try to get pregnant after having difficulty conceiving, said Friday she is expecting a baby next year.

''We just found out,'' she said in a statement, adding that she and husband-manager Rene Angelil were ''completely, totally happy'' with the news.

Spokeswoman Francine Chaloult said Dion's baby was expected in early March.

''In three weeks, if all goes well, we'll hear the heart of our baby, beating inside of my tummy,'' said Dion, who has sold millions of records worldwide and is best known for ''My Heart Will Go On,'' the theme song to the award-winning film ''Titanic.''

Her statement also said that Angelil, who had surgery last year to remove a cancerous lump on his throat, had received test results that showed no cancer.

Dion, 32, had been undergoing fertility treatments in New York, forcing her last week to turn down an offer to sing at the Montreal funeral of Canadian hockey legend Maurice Richard.

In February, Dion filed a $20 million lawsuit against the National Enquirer tabloid, saying a story it carried reporting she was pregnant with twins was false. She said the story filled her with heartache because she had been unable to have a child.

''This time it's for real - I'm pregnant,'' her statement said. ''We are completely, totally happy. And we thank God for the great joy we've been given.

''Over this past year, we went through a terrible test together, but we made it through stronger, closer, more loving than ever,'' she said.