NORTH-EAST Paralympic champion Tanni Grey-Thompson is preparing for her toughest challenge yet, after announcing she is expecting her first child.

Tanni, 31, who lives in Redcar, spent the weekend celebrating with husband Ian after revealing that the baby is due in February.

Tanni has been in a wheelchair since the age of seven. She was born with spina bifida, a malformation of the spine.

She became the country's golden girl after returning from the Sydney Paralympics last year with four gold medals in the 100m, 200m, 400m and 800m wheelchair racing. This added to her collection of a bronze medal from the 1988 Seoul Olympics, four gold medals from the 1992 Barcelona games and four silver from Atlanta.

Since her return from Sydney, she has been made an OBE to add to the MBE she was awarded aged just 22.

She was voted third in last year's BBC Sports Personality of the Year competition, behind Olympic rowing hero Steve Redgrave and heptathlon champion Denise Lewis.

In November, she said she wanted to start a family after the Commonwealth Games in Manchester next year before her body burnt out from her rigorous training schedule.

After announcing her pregnancy, she said: "I have had many special days, but this news is very exciting. Having a baby is going to be a very different experience for me."

Tanni plans to race in the London Marathon just two months after the baby is born.