June 30, 1998
Source: Star

Helen Hunt Dumps Fiance: I Want a Baby Now--With or Without You!

A fed-up Helen Hunt wants to have a baby now -- even if fiance Hank Azaria doesn't!

"Married or unmarried, I long for a baby more than anything else in the world," the 35-year-old Mad About You star confided recently to a pal.

"I'm going all-out to get pregnant," adds Hunt, whose engagement to the Godzilla star has run into serious problems.

"My biological clock is ticking too fast and I can't delay being a mom too much longer."

Insiders say that Helen, who won an Oscar for her starring role as the waitress who tamed Jack Nicholson in As Good As It Gets, is frustrated that Azaria keeps telling her to wait.

"He's dragging his feet," says a source. "He doesn't like the pressure of her desire to start a family. And Helen's huge TV and movie success is also intimidating to him.

"They've already put off their wedding once because of all of his insecurities.

"Hank insists to her that he still has many goals to reach -- and he says he wants to put off parenthood until he's proved to Helen that he's her acting equal."

But Helen tells friends she's making plans to become a mom - even if Azaria doesn't want to be a father.

"She wants to marry and start a family, that's her No. 1 priority," says a friend.

"The question now is: Will Hank go along with that and make her Mrs. Azaria?

"Helen's even willing to drop out of her sitcom at the end of this season and have a child. She told me, 'Our original plan was to have two kids. Well, I keep saying we'd better get started.' "

Helen, who's lived with Azaria for nearly six years, now earns $10 million a movie and pockets an incredible $1.25 million every week for playing Jamie Buchman opposite Paul Reiser in Mad About You.

Azaria -- despite starring in The Birdcage and other hits -- earns much less.

"Helen's huge financial success has sparked more than a little jealousy," says an insider.

"They were all set to get married in the spring but Hank got cold feet at the last moment.

"Helen was deeply hurt. Now she's determined to have a baby -- she wants to be a real-life mother just like her character Jamie on her TV show."