"The Vampire Diaries" actor Ian Somerhalder has a lot of practice at parenting as he and wife Nikki Reed are currently parents to nine pets. And some day he would love to have a child of his own.
"Oh, hell yes! Absolutely," the 36-year-old actor told ET when asked if he wants to be a dad. "You know, it's all about practice… It's not practice makes perfect - it's perfect practice."
"I'm actually pregnant right now!" he joked. Talking about children, Somerhalder added that it wasn't the perfect time to bring a baby into the world, but at the same time noted that he cannot wait to experience parenthood.
"It's a pretty crazy time and place to bring a child into this turbulent and insane world -- but I really can't wait to do it and really just love it."
While Somerhalder clearly wants a baby, an earlier Celeb Dirty Laundry report noted that his wife Reed wasn't on board with the baby plans. The "Twilight" alum is said to have expressed a desire to establish a career outside of the vampire franchise before thinking of getting pregnant.
"The last thing Reed wants to do is get pregnant and risk her career by trying to hide baby bumps and turning off potential roles for a maternity leave," the report noted.
A similar scenario is said to have been responsible for Somerhalder's split from ex-girlfriend Nina Dobrev. Somerhalder and Dobrev dated for almost three years before finally calling it quits in mid- 2013. Although neither of them commented on what caused their break-up, an anonymous source told the media that it was Somerhalder's desire to settle down and start a family.
"Ian was starting to talk marriage while Nina's just getting started on her career," an insider reportedly told In Touch Weekly in May 2013. "Nina still loves him but isn't ready to make that huge commitment. She's just too young for Ian."
While Somerhalder is currently happily married to Reed, Dobrev is in a relationship with "Whiplash" actor Austin Stowell.
