Reese heading for the hill

Legally Blonde star Reese Witherspoon is set to follow a growing Hollywood trend and move to Britain. She and actor husband Ryan Phillippe have been house-hunting in Notting Hill and want to set up home there.

The couple revealed their plans after the premiere of Witherspoon's blockbuster, Legally Blonde 2: Red White And Blonde, in Leicester Square last night.

Phillippe, 29, star of Gosford Park and I Know What You Did Last Summer, said: "We've been doing some serious house-hunting in Notting Hill - that's where we want to live.

"The place has such a funky feel about it. The restaurants and bars are very cool and we have had a look at some great houses," he added.

"With all the interest in us as a couple in the US, we are looking for a kind of safe haven, I suppose. This is a really nice place to settle.

"We have spent a lot of time over here recently and I have been spending time in Hyde Park while Reese has been working and viceversa. London is a great city for families and children."

The couple have a three-year-old daughter, Ava Elizabeth, and are expecting another child.

Phillippe said: "Reese is pregnant. Even without the baby, this kind of work schedule is exhausting.

"In a couple of weeks we are both taking some time out. We have been doing premieres for about four or five years together now - so sometimes it's a bit like going through the motions for us. Reese is the real star though. I'm a very lucky guy."

On the subject of his wife's pregnancy, he said: "She is keeping really fit and healthy and the pregnancy is doing really well. We are making sure we really look after each other at the moment."

Celebrities such as Stella McCartney, Minnie Driver, Robbie Williams, Geri Halliwell, Claudia Schiffer and Damon Albarn are all residents of fashionable W11.

The couple have been in Britain while Witherspoon, 27, films Vanity Fair. They revealed their plans to move to London the day after Cate Blanchett announced that she is moving out of the capital for the beaches of Brighton.

Dressed in a white Prada maternity gown, Witherspoon appeared bemused by the crowds at the premiere. She said: "I can't believe people know who I am here." Witherspoon, who also produced the comedy sequel about a high-powered lawyer, is reported have been paid £15 million - six times the amount she was paid for the original film.