Rebekah Brooks, one of the most prominent figures in the British phone hacking scandal, has just become a mother.
Brooks and her husband Charlie became parents by a surrogate mother on Wednesday. Their daughter, Scarlett Anne Mary Brooks, was born at the Portland private hospital in central London, according to the Guardian.
They announced the birth in a statement, saying, "Our beautiful little miracle, Scarlett Anne Mary Brooks arrived at The Portland at 4.05pm weighing 6lb1oz."
Brooks' spokesperson described the couple as "overjoyed and relieved" at the safe birth of their healthy baby. The two had been trying to conceive since they married in 2009, and tried IVF before using a surrogate.
"It is tremendous news for them," the spokesperson said. "They have been trying for five years to have a baby – since they got together. They had more than two years of treatment to see if they could, but that has not been possible. They will be forever indebted to the surrogate."
Brooks has been at the center of the investigation into phone hacking at Rupert Murdoch's News Corp. since July. She was the editor of the now-shuttered News of the World while phone hacking occurred at the tabloid, and served as chief executive at the company's British subsidiary News International. She has since resigned, but stirred up more controversy when it was reported that she received a $2.7 million severance package. Her former personal aide was arrested in January.
PHOTO: 