The couple, who have a 14-month old son Gene, have been together for just over two years, following Gallagher's split from his first wife, actress Patsy Kensit.

Gallagher, 29, also has a two-year-old son, Lennon, from his first marriage.

Appleton and her sister, Natalie, shot to fame in pop group All Saints in 1997.

'It's true'

But the group split last year, and the sisters - recording under the name Appleton - are currently at number two in the UK singles chart with Fantasy, their first post-All Saints offering.

Wearing an engagement ring, Appleton is said to have told reporters at a recording of TV chart show Top of The Pops: "It's true, Liam and I have got engaged. We haven't set a date yet, we'll think about that later."

Gallagher's songwriter brother Noel confirmed the news on BBC Radio 1's Mark Radcliffe show on Friday.

He compared Liam to rock star Rod Stewart - famed for his serial romances - and joked he was the last to know behind their mother and other brother Paul.

Noel said: "I phoned him up and I said, 'Is that Mr Stewart? And he said 'What do you mean?'

"I said is that Rod Stewart. And he said, 'Who's this?' .... 'It's your brother'. So I said `Have you got engaged?' and he said 'er, yeah'.

'Did you tell our kid?'. `I did'. `So, right, you didn't tell me'.

"'I did tell you didn't I?. I thought I told you'.

"I was like `Right, screw your present then'." Noel also dedicated a song to his "newly engaged" brother and Nicole as he appeared on the show, the track Songbird from Oasis's latest album Heathen Chemistry.

The Gallaghers are due to play with Oasis in their home city of Manchester on Saturday, at the Old Trafford cricket ground.