Richard Gere, 69, and wife Alejandra Silva, 35, make odd pregnancy announcement

Hollywood actor Richard Gere and his wife Alejandra Silva are expecting a child. Photo / Getty Images

Hollywood actor Richard Gere is about to become a dad again — at 69 years old.

The Pretty Woman star and his wife, Alejandra Silva, 35, have confirmed they are expecting a baby.

Spanish activist and publicist Silva posted a photo on Instagram of the couple with the Dalai Lama, saying they were "getting blessings for our precious to come".

The image shows the Dalai Lama with his hand on Silva's stomach.

Gere, who is a Buddhist, stands beside his wife with a hand on her side.

"A very special moment just a few minutes ago … Getting blessings for our precious to come," Silva wrote.

"We couldn't announce it before telling HH Dalai Lama."

The couple have recently been at the centre of pregnancy rumours. Gere married Silva, his third wife, in April.

He told Hello! magazine he was "the happiest man in the universe" after they tied the knot.

Gere was previously married to supermodel Cindy Crawford from 1991 to 1995, and actress Carey Lowell from 2002 to 2016, with whom he has his 18-year-old son Homer.

Silva has a five-year-old son from a previous relationship.

Gere said his outspoken views on Tibet had impacted on the roles he was cast in.

"There are definitely movies that I can't be in because the Chinese will say, 'Not with him,'" Gere told The Hollywood Reporter, according toThe Guardian.

"I recently had an episode where someone said they could not finance a film with me because it would upset the Chinese."

Speaking to Spanish magazine Hola, Silva described Gere as "my hero in real life".

"I was a little lost, without light, and meeting him gave sense to my life," she told the magazine.

"I felt like someone was stretching out his hand and showing me the true path."