Beyoncé Knowles wanted to build up her 'self-worth' before having a baby.

The singer and her husband Jay-Z are expecting their first child in February. They have been together for ten years, with the star explaining she wanted to achieve as much as possible in her professional life before concentrating on starting a family.

't was important to me that I gave myself time to focus on becoming the woman I want to be, building my empire, my relationship, and my self-worth, before I became a mother,' she told the November edition of Harper's Bazaar. 'Now God has blessed us with the ultimate.'

Beyoncé confirmed her pregnancy at the MTV Video Music Awards (VMAs) at the end of August. She says walking the red carpet before announcing the secret was a petrifying experience.

The star revealed she was expecting a baby by rubbing her growing tummy through her orange Lanvin dress.

' put a lot of thought into how I wanted to unveil it. It was important to me that I was able to do it myself," she explained. "I was extremely nervous. It was the toughest red carpet I ever did... I decided to say nothing and proudly show my baby bump. I felt it was more powerful to see the love and enthusiasm as opposed to saying anything."

Beyoncé, 30, went on to discuss her relationship with her 41-year-old husband. They got together when she was 20 and she believes years spent getting to know each other and building a strong bond has helped their marriage.

'We took our time and developed an unbreakable friendship before we got married,' she explained. 'But, like anything great and successful in your life, marriage takes hard work and sacrifice. It has to be something both you and your husband deeply want.

'The best thing about marriage is the amount of growth you have because you can no longer hide from your fears and insecurities. There's someone right there calling you out on your flaws and building you up when you need the support. If you are with the right person, it brings out the best version of you.'

Beyoncé added she finally feels completely at ease and comfortable with herself. She's proud of everything she's achieved and no longer looks to other people for validation.

' am finally at the stage in my life where I am not so concerned with other people's opinions about my life decisions," she smiled. "It is so liberating to really know what I want, what truly makes me happy.'