Onlookers said it was clear that she had put on weight at a Los Angeles gala. At one point, she was spotted glancing down at her “bump” as husband Tom Cruise looked on concerned.

Speculation has been mounting for weeks that the couple, who married in Italy four months ago, are about to have a second child.

Friends have been spotted buying blue baby clothes from smart Los Angeles shop Petit Tresor, prompting many to believe they are expecting a boy. Katie, who gave birth to a daughter, Suri, 11 months ago, has made no secret of her wish to have a bigger family.

The 28-year-old recently revealed that she “definitely” wanted more children with Tom, 44, adding of her first pregnancy: “I felt so proud to be having a baby and so excited, I felt closer to other women – to my sisters, to my mom.

“I felt empowered, like ‘I’ve given birth, I did it. There’s nothing I can’t handle’.”