Dua Lipa has denied she is pregnant after speculation over a “cryptic message” in her emoji use on social media.

The chart-topping singer said she wanted to clear up any confusion during a TV appearance, saying her use of “random” digital icons had “come to bite me in the arse”.

Rumours started when Lipa, 25, shared a picture of herself wearing a green tartan dress on Instagram earlier in January.

In her caption, the British star, who is in a relationship with model Anwar Hadid, included a baby’s bottle emoji alongside sparkles and an angel, leading to speculation she was pregnant.

But during an appearance on Jimmy Kimmel Live!, she dismissed the rumours.

“I like finding little random emojis, like a little baby bottle or angels and sparkles,” she said. “Random. I really didn’t think this through and I posted it and then I look at the comments and somebody says, ‘is she pregnant?’

“And I look at the picture, I look at the comment, I look at the picture, I look at the comment, and I’m like, ‘surely I don’t look pregnant?’

“And then I see that people have been writing stories saying that I posted some cryptic message that I might be announcing my pregnancy. And I’m just like, ‘oh my God, these emojis have come to bite me in the arse’.”

Lipa, who appeared on the show virtually, added: “I’m not pregnant, just to clear it up.”

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Asked by Kimmel if she will announce any future pregnancy through emojis, she replied: “No, because now I’d be the boy who cried wolf.”

Lipa, who is nominated for six Grammys this year, said she “occasionally” reads the comments on social media, saying that “sometimes it’s nice stuff, sometimes it’s not so nice stuff”.

“It doesn’t bother me too much,” she added.