Singer and actress Liza Minnelli and her new husband David Gest have said they are in the process of adopting a child.

Minnelli, 56, told the New York Post a three-year-old girl called Serena was set to move in with her and Gest in January.

The daughter of the late Judy Garland, married the theatre producer in a glitzy affair in March.

And the star of Cabaret and Arthur said the young girl has come from a home who could not support her.

Minnelli said: "Adoptions often take years but ours was only a four-month process.

"The situation was somebody who couldn't provide for her."

Minnelli and Gest have talked about adoption ever since their marriage as she has suffered five miscarriages.

She added: "When one has been through a lot and learned something along the way hopefully thr least you can do is to pass it on to an innocent child who needs parents because they have lost theirs."

(Parts of this article appear courtesy of the BBC News website)