Ellen's Heartache over gay lover's new baby

Ellen DeGeneres is heartbroken after her former lover Anne Heche gave birth to a bouncing baby boy - the baby that DeGeneres always wanted.

The heartbroken funnylady bravely held back tears as she told friends she wished her ex-galpal all the best on the arrival of her baby son Homer with husband Coley Laffoon.

"Ellen is happy that Anne and the baby are healthy and she wishes Anne, Coley and the baby well," says a pal of DeGeneres.

But the infant, who weighed in at 7 pounds when he made his debut March 2, made the comedienne more determined than ever not to let another relationship slip through her fingers without having the child she's longed for.

Now she and her lover, Alexandra Hedison, are living in the sitcom star's new Beverly Hills digs and planning a family of their own.

Hedison, 32, who has been pursuing a new career as a photographer and starred in the 1996 TV series L.A., Firefighters, plans to carry the baby after she becomes pregnant by donor sperm.

And DeGeneres, 44, is set to take on the daddy role after the baby is born.

"In some ways, Anne's new baby is the child that Ellen always dreamed of being a 'dad' to," says a pal. "Hopefully, when Ellen and Alexandra have a baby of their own, all the pain and emotional heartbreak Ellen associates with Anne will disappear."

DeGeneres fell hard for Heche in 1997, and the pair were inseparable for more than three years. They became the most famous gay couple in Hollywood and were seen everywhere openly flaunting their relationship.

They planned to have a baby together, with Heche being "mommy." They checked out every cute guy they met for "daddy" potential. Then, in August 2000, Ellen's dreams of having a family with the actress were shattered.

Heche, 32, dumped DeGeneres and fled into the arms of her secret lover Laffoon, 27, a cameraman she hired earlier in the year to film a documentary on Ellen.

But while DeGeneres is still heartbroken, Heche's mom Nancy is glad that her wild daughter Anne has settled down with a man and a child.

"I am deliriously happy and excited," declared Nancy from her home in Chicago, "and grateful."