Andrea's baby crisis

Andrea Catherwood has had an emergency caesarean six weeks early to save the lives of her twin boys.

The ITV newsreader, 37, had been aware for some time that her babies had a dangerous condition known as twin to twin transfusion syndrome.

When a complication emerged, doctors decided they had to operate.

Last night the identical boys, who were both believed to have arrived weighing less than 4lbs each, were in intensive care at a London hospital, where they were said to be stable.

Twin to twin transfusion syndrome is a condition that affects identical twin pregnancies. The twins' shared placenta contains abnormal blood vessels which means one baby gets too much blood, while the other gets too little.

A spokesman for Miss Catherwood - who also has an 18-month-old son called Finn with her lawyer husband Gray Smith - said: 'Andrea is understandably delighted to have identical twin boys and she has described them as gorgeous.

'It was clearly a very stressful time and although they are very small they are doing well.

'The babies are currently being well looked after in intensive care and doctors are monitoring their progress.'

Petite Miss Catherwood, who was nicknamed Kylie Minogue by troops when she covered wars in Afghanistan and the Middle East, is believed to be planning to stay in hospital with her babies until the start of next week. She has not yet named them.

The Belfast-born presenter, married for three years, was pictured two weeks ago in the Mail looking huge but healthy.

A source close to her said: 'It has been a very hard time and she has had to spend a lot of time in hospital with doctors monitoring her sons.

'That's why she has not felt comfortable discussing her pregnancy with very many people.'

Despite having three children under two, Miss Catherwood has said she will return to work at the start of 2006.

Twin to twin transfusion syndrome affects as many as one in 1,000 pregnancies, although doctors are uncertain what causes it.