Richard Gere is expecting his second child and first with new wife Alejandra Silva, who announced the news with some help from the Dalai Lama.
“A very special moment just a few minutes ago… Getting blessings for our precious to come,” penned Silva of an Instagram photo showing the Buddhist leader blessing her baby bump.
“We couldn’t announce it before telling HH Dalai Lama☺️,” added the 35-year-old Spanish businesswoman and activist, who went on to share the message in her first language.
Gere, 69, also shares 18-year-old son Homer James Jigme with ex-wife Carey Lowell. The couple’s bundle of joy on the way is also the second child for Silva, who has a 5½-year-old son named Albert from a previous marriage.
Gere and Silva had known each other for over a decade before they first began dating in 2014. In April, a source close to the couple told PEOPLE they married “weeks and weeks ago” and are “extraordinarily happy.”
“They’re so comfortable with each other, have fun together and are looking forward to their future together,” the insider revealed of Gere and Silva.
According to Spanish outlet HOLA!, who were the first to report the marriage news, the two wed in early April in a civil ceremony and planned to celebrate the nuptials at a party in New York City in early May with family and friends.
The resulting fête — held at Gere’s estate in Pound Ridge, New York — included several Tibetan monks (Gere is a Buddhist and one of son Homer’s middle names, Jigme, is a Tibetan name).
After news of their marriage broke, a film source who has known Gere for years told PEOPLE he “has been much happier in this half of his life because he is settled, confident and doing what he likes.”
“Practicing Buddhism and doing humanitarian work have fulfilled and transformed him, and he is at a stage when he can make the kinds of films that he likes,” the insider added of the Chicago star.
This is Gere’s third marriage. He first tied the knot with supermodel Cindy Crawford, to whom he was married from 1991 to 1995. The actor later welcomed his only son with second wife Lowell, whom he wed in 2002 before a contentious divorce that was finalised in 2016 after they separated in 2013.
This article originally appeared on PEOPLE.
