Ellen also took Eva to task about the fact that she had denied being pregnant when she last appeared on the show, back in January. But Eva said she had only just found out and at that point, even her mother didn't know.

"I was so early on and all moms will understand, you’re not supposed to tell anybody during your first - well certainly not the world - in your first trimester," the actress said.

"And my mother didn’t even know yet. So that would have been an awkward phone call. 'Hey mom did you catch Ellen today?' Um, oops!"

Ryan and Eva began dating in 2011 after they co-starred as lover and parents in crime drama The Place Beyond the Pines. They have been notoriously private about their relationship and Eva said that safeguarding their daughter's privacy would be something "we'll figure out" as she grows up.

Ryan has previously talked about his desire to be a dad, telling E! in 2011: "I’d like to be making babies but I’m not, so I’m making movies. When someone comes along, I don’t think I’ll be able to do both and I’m fine with that... I’ll make movies until I make babies."

In an interview with beauty website Violet Grey last month, Eva said that as new parents, her and Ryan were doing without a nanny "for now" but were open to the idea in the future. She also revealed the inspiration behind the name Esmeralda, saying:

"We both love the Esmeralda character from the Victor Hugo novel The Hunchback of Notre Dame and just think it’s a beautiful name. Her middle is Amada, which was my grandmother’s name. It means 'beloved' in Spanish," she said.

See more from Eva's last appearance on Ellen in the video, below.

"I’m exhausted and it’s the best" Eva Mendes talks sleepless nights and breastfeeding in her first TV interview since becoming a mum