LOS ANGELES: Shakira has revealed she is ready to start a family with her fiancee Antonio de la Rua because her ''biological clock is ticking''.

Shakira wants to have a baby.

The 32-year-old singer - who has been engaged to Antonio de la Rua, 36, for the last four years - admits her biological clock is ticking and she's desperate to start a family.

She said: "I'm dying to have a baby. We both are. I'd like two and Antonio would like three. So probably after my next album, which comes out next year. I don't think it could be sooner because in 2010 I'll be touring as well. In fact, my biological clock is already ticking and I don't know how to describe it. It's just becoming a physical need now."

The 'She Wolf' star, who met Antonio nine years ago in a restaurant in Argentina, knew straight away he was 'The One'.

She said: "The minute I walked in, I saw him sitting, and I thought, 'That man is for me, he's the man of my life.' I kept staring at him until I got to meet him that night. And then I just followed my intuition and everything worked out. Frankly, meeting him that night was like winning the lottery."

Although Shakira is engaged, she doesn't plan to marry Antonio anytime soon.

She said: "I think it's more romantic to be that eternal girlfriend. We're happy the way things are. Our relationship is strong and steady."