Famous North Ayrshire violinist Nicola Benedetti has revealed she is pregnant with her first child. 

The West Kilbride superstar will continue to direct the Edinburgh International Festival, which starts this year, two months after her due date.

Asked about the big news, Nicola, 36, said: "I am positively excited, flexibility will be the aim of the game in the next little while and plenty of support."

Reports in the national press today suggest that Nicola has recently married.

Nicola took up the position of Festival Director for the Edinburgh International Festival in October 2022, having previously had a long-standing relationship with the Festival as a performer, including a residency stint in 2021.

Nicola is both the first Scottish and the first female Festival Director since the Festival began in 1947.

The musician is considered to be one of the most influential classical artists of today, performing internationally as a violinist.

Born and bred in West Kilbride, and of Italian heritage, Nicola began violin lessons at the age of four.

She studied at Yehudi Menuhin School and has since toured with some of the world’s greatest orchestras and conductors.

She has won Grammy and Brit Awards and was named BBC Music Magazine’s 2021 ‘Personality of the Year,’ awarded in part for her online support of musicians during the pandemic, a reflection of her passionate work as an ambassador for music education.

Nicola was awarded the Queen’s Medal for Music in 2017, and two years later established The Benedetti Foundation.

Since its launch, the Foundation has worked with over 29,000 participants, aged 2 to 92, from 103 countries through its in-person workshops and online sessions for young people, students, teachers and adults.