Ex-Murdoch aide Brooks has baby by surrogate

Former News International boss Rebekah Brooks, a key figure in Britain's phone hacking row, and her husband became parents Wednesday by a surrogate mother, the couple said.

Scarlett Anne Mary Brooks was born at a private hospital in London, Brooks and her husband, racehorse trainer Charlie Brooks, announced in a statement.

"Our beautiful little miracle, Scarlett Anne Mary Brooks arrived at The Portland (hospital) at 4.05pm weighing 6lbs 1oz," the statement said.

Her spokesman David Wilson said the couple were "obviously overjoyed and relieved at a safe birth."

"Scarlett was born at 37 weeks and is perfectly healthy and the family are getting to know one another. It is tremendous news for them. They have been trying for five years to have a baby, since they got together."

The surrogate mother has asked to remain anonymous.

Brooks, 43, and her husband were originally expecting twins with the surrogate but one of the babies died.

Brooks resigned as chief executive of Rupert Murdoch's News International as the scandal over voicemail hacking at the News of the World tabloid exploded in July. She was a former editor of the newspaper.

Days later she was arrested and questioned by police on suspicion of phone-hacking and bribing police, and later bailed.