Californian officials have confirmed Gwyneth Paltrow has married Chris Martin.

It is believed they married in a brief ceremony last Friday at the San Ysidro Ranch, where film legends Sir Laurence Olivier and Vivien Leigh wed and John and Jackie Kennedy spent their honeymoon.

An official in the county clerk-recorder's office in Santa Barbara confirmed the pair tied the knot, saying: "The only thing that I can say is that they are married but we cannot say the date or where it happened."

Paltrow's agent Stephen Huvane said the couple had no comment to make. Paltrow, 31, and Martin 26, are expecting their first child in the summer. They are currently on honeymoon Cabo San Lucas, Mexico.

Rumours have been circulating for days that the couple married. Santa Barbara officials said the pair asked for a confidential marriage licence, meaning it would not be made public.

They have fought a constant battle to keep their relationship private, sometimes going to great lengths to avoid being pictured together. Paltrow told last week why they decided to reveal her pregnancy.

"It's been a secret for a while. We thought 'Well, we'll tell everybody and just make a nice clean statement'," she said. But she added: "I like to keep my private life to myself."

Her relationship with Martin became public knowledge a year ago. Confirmation of the wedding also follows a string of hints dropped by Paltrow in recent weeks.

She told Michael Parkinson she "hoped" to marry, but refused to name Martin. And she told the USA Today newspaper she wanted to settle down and focus on "partners and babies".

In recent weeks the couple are believed to have started house-hunting in Belsize Park, north London. Paltrow currently splits her time between New York and London. Martin already has a flat in the area but is said to spend much of his time at Paltrow's house in Belgravia.

Source: Press Release