There’s no place like home

Gwyneth Paltrow is following her friend Madonna by snubbing British hospitals and having her first child in America.

The 31-year-old actress, five months pregnant, had hoped to give birth in the UK, according to friends.

But they say Madonna – who caused outrage when she called our hospitals ‘old and Victorian’ – has talked her out of it.

Now Miss Paltrow, who is often fulsome in her praise of Britain and whose husband is English rock singer Chris Martin, has apparently decided on a home birth at her mother’s house in Los Angeles.

One friend said: ‘Madonna told her all these horror stories about how bad the English hospitals are. So now she has decided to give birth in Los Angeles.

‘She has always wanted a home birth so she didn’t think it would make much difference where she had it. But Madonna, who had lots of complications with son Rocco, told her that if something went wrong America is the best place to be.’

Madonna has even persuaded Miss Paltrow to use her doctor, who is known as Dr Antony. He is hoping Miss Paltrow will have the baby in a hospital, rather than at home.

But the friend added: ‘Chris wants Gwyneth to be as comfortable as possible and he also thinks they can keep the birth more private by having it at her mother’s house.’

Madonna, 45, who like Miss Paltrow has an English husband, caused controversy with her comments, just before the birth of Rocco in 2000, that she would never contemplate willingly going into a UK hospital.

‘Have you been to hospitals in England?’ she asked. ‘They are old and Victorian. You know I like efficiency.’

Until now it had been believed Miss Paltrow, who married Coldplay frontman Martin, 26, in California last month, would have her child in England, as she has already discussed how she considers it home, and wants her children to be British educated.

She lives in a £500,000 flat in Belgravia, Central London. She and Martin have been looking for a larger family home in the capital and are also considering getting a place in the country.

‘This is the most fascinating city in the world,’ she said of London recently. ‘I’m very comfortable here and I really appreciate the European perspective.’

However, last month the actress did complain about ‘officious’ parking wardens and the ‘ exorbitant’ price of petrol.

Source: Nicole Lampert, The Evening Standard