The `Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides` actress - who gave birth to son Leo, her first child with husband Javier Bardem, in January - explained becoming a mother has been a "revolutionary experience", which has changed her life forever.

She said: "From the first second, you feel so much love. It is a revolutionary experience. That`s the best way I can describe it. It transforms you completely, in a second. Nature is very wise and gives you nine months to prepare, but in that moment, when you see that face, you are transformed forever."

The 37-year-old Spanish star admitted she found it "hard" to initially understand what becoming a mother would mean to her until she held baby Leo in her arms.

She added to US Vogue magazine: "Even if you have heard from all your friends and family, `This is what`s going to happen`, until it happens to you, it`s hard to understand in your soul."

However, Penelope and Javier are hoping their son will be able to lead as normal a life as possible as he grows up.

She said: "I want my son - and my kids if I have more - to grow up in a way that is as anonymous as possible."
sections: Celebrities