They are so happy ..and Kate'll be a great mum

IT'S been an occasionally rocky ride - but today the star of Titanic is on the crest of a wave again.

Kate Winslet is pregnant - and happier than she has been for years.

Just three years ago - despite the fame and fortune her role in one of the biggest ever movie hits had brought her - Kate was in the depths of despair.

Her teenage sweetheart, Stephen Tedre, the man she once expected to spend her life with, had died of cancer.

The young couple were inseparable. And even after they realised they were not destined to marry, Kate and Stephen remained the best of friends.

And when the talented young EastEnders script writer was given the crushing news he was dying of cancer, Kate was always there when he needed her.

He died in December, 1997 - just as Titanic was being released at cinemas around the world.

Kate was devastated, even missing the premiere of the movie that made her a superstar to attend her former lover's funeral.

And she confided to friends: "I don't know if I'll ever get over this."

But while she will never forget her beloved Stephen her life today is full of joy.

She met movie director Jim Threapleton just three months after Stephen's death - and it was a meeting that would change her life.

After a blissful romance the couple married in November, 1998.

And now the delighted 24-year-old star is six weeks pregnant and due to give birth in late September.

KATE and Jim threw a champagne party for their closest friends and relatives the moment their happy news was confirmed.

Before the baby is born Kate has told anxious film bosses she will have time to finish work on her new movie, the pounds 20 million British production, Enigma.

Last night Kate's delighted mother-in-law, Louise, told The Mirror: "We're thrilled for them. This will be our first grandchild and we're extremely excited.

"Kate has been really glowing with health and hasn't had any side effects ... in fact, she's been as fit as a fiddle.

"It's a delightful surprise for us considering the baby will be born less than two years after they got married.

"It feels funny that we are going to be grandparents as we are both quite young still at just 48. Jim is only 26 and his brother Robin is 24 ... we thought we'd have a little while to wait yet.

"I must admit we've had the odd bottle of champagne since we found out. It really is terrific news for them both.

"Now we just have to get used to the idea and get ready for the big event later in the year.

"We really can't wait."

Kate's parents, Sally and Roger, were the first to hear the news earlier this month. The couple, who met on the set of her film Hideous Kinky in Morocco, have been eager to start a family since their marriage a year ago.

Kate sparked speculation about her condition earlier this month when she arrived at a Los Angeles premiere for her film, Holy Smoke.

Jim had patted her tummy in front of photographers, suggesting she was pregnant - but she refused to confirm the rumours.

But earlier this year Kate told of how she dreamed of becoming a mum.

"I want three or four kids," she said. "I adore babies and children. I'm determined to become a young mother, because my own experiences of being a child and a teenager will be fresh.

"I want to be able to share that with my children and have more of a friendship as opposed to a parent-child relationship."

Kate has also expressed her disenchantment with movies - hinting she was ready to give them up for good.

"The whole business is complete madness, I constantly think of giving up," she revealed. "You put yourself through all these terrible traumas. And then you beat yourself about the head, thinking, 'I'm c**p, I look like a horse and I've got an arse the size of a barn'."

KATE'S pregnancy will dominate her movie plans for the next 12 months.

She has just finished filming Quills, about the life of the Marquis de Sade, and is about to start filming Enigma, based on a best-selling Robert Harris novel.

"She wants to do one more film before the bump shows," her mum-in-law Louise explained.

"Then it will be down to getting ready for the new arrival. Kate loves children, she's bound to be a fantastic mum."

The film, which is partly backed by Rolling Stone Mick Jagger, tells the story of a man who races against time to crack a secret German code.

Yesterday calls to the actress's modest north London home went unanswered, but her eight-year-old Mini was parked outside. There is nothing flash about Kate Winslet.

She and Jim married at Kate's family's local church in Reading, in front of the minister who christened her and a congregation of just 150 of her closest pals.

She even opted to hold her reception in a country pub with bangers and mash on the menu.

The couple kept their nuptials a secret until the very last moment in a bid to keep things private.

But once they realised word had leaked out she revealed a refreshingly open attitude by agreeing to pose for photographs.

Later, when they were discovered bike-riding on their honeymoon in Scotland it was the same story - the charming couple played ball with the photographers.

Now Kate's pregnancy is the latest chapter in a remarkable story of the girl who grew up in a terraced house in Reading and took Hollywood by storm.

t.quinn@mirror.co.uk