Cross has won several Golden Globe nominations for her role

The non-identical girls are the first children for the 44-year-old redhead and her husband Tom Mahoney, 49.

"Mother and babies are all doing well," publicist Heidi Slan said. Cross had been due to give birth in April.

The actress was placed on bed rest in January, forcing producers to film scenes for Desperate Housewives in her real-life Los Angeles living room.

Her character, uptight home-maker Bree Van de Kamp, was not pregnant and was written out of later episodes of the hit show's third series.

'Miracle'

In December, the star told US magazine People having babies later in life was "like a miracle".

"I didn't think it would happen," she said. The magazine reports that the twin girls have been called Eden and Savannah.

Cross, who first came to attention on US soap Melrose Place, has won a string of Emmy and Golden Globe nominations for her role in Desperate Housewives.

The show's creator Marc Cherry has just signed a four-year deal with US TV network ABC, ensuring the future of the suburban comedy series.

Trade paper Variety reports that the key members of the cast, including Teri Hatcher and Felicity Huffman, will remain with the programme as long as Cherry is involved.

The writer indicated that the show would end in 2011, saying: "I think that at the end of my deal and after seven seasons it will be a good time to call it quits.