Girl, 11, weds and gives birth on same day

By MSN NZ staff
Monday, November 2, 2009

An 11-year-old girl who gave birth on her wedding day while still dressed in a white gown and a tiara says she is excited to "have a new toy".

Kordeza Zhelyazkova from Bulgaria gave birth to 2.4kg baby girl Violeta last week but left the hospital with her newborn after only an overnight stay to finish the wedding ceremony, the News of the World reports.

The schoolgirl said she and 19-year-old husband Jeliazko Dimitrov met in the playground of her school in the industrial town of Sliven after he saved her from bullies.

Kordeza said the pair began a sexual relationship even though she did not know what a condom was and fell pregnant within a week of them meeting.

"I'm not going to play with toys anymore — I have a new toy now," she was quoted by the paper as saying.

"She is so beautiful, I love her ... Violeta is the child and I must grow up.

"I am not going back to school — I am a mother now."

Kordeza said she did not realise she was pregnant until her grandmother pointed out her weight gain.

"I just thought I'd eaten too many burgers," she said.

But Mr Dimitrov could be jailed for up to six years for having sex with a girl under 14.

"I'm scared ... I want to look after my wife and child ... instead I may be going to prison," he said.

"I made a mistake but I am not going to apologise for that because now I have beautiful Violeta."

Kordez said she was not planning on having any more children.