Halle Bailey says that being a mother has given her the "greatest love" she has ever known

She wrote on Instagram: "my first mother's day [heart emoji] the greatest love i've ever known."

The 'Little Mermaid' star kept the news that she was even expecting to herself and recently now admitted that there was "no way in hell" that she was ever going to share her "biggest joy" on such a large scale.

Speaking at the Essence Black Women in Hollywood Awards, she said: "We are black women in entertainment, and although we signed up for the challenges of the spotlight, in this current climate, that spotlight burns brighter, hotter, and uninterrupted, whereas the scrutiny of its magnification leaves no concealment. I've learned from that spotlight over the past eight years.

"I've also, if I'm being honest, been burned by it, too, as we all have.

"There was no way in hell I was going to share the biggest joy of my world with anyone. Halo was my gift. He is the greatest blessing, and I had no obligation to expose him, me, or my family to that."

The 'Color Purple' actress then blamed the "state of the world" and hinted that the magnitude of social media was all behind her reasoning to keep things private.

She said: "With the state of the world and the place it is in with men trying to force their will on our bodies, no one on social media, and for damn sure, no one on the planet, was going to tell me what to do with my body or what to share with the world."