Halle Berry has lost her bid to take her daughter to live in France.

The 46-year-old actress - who is engaged to French actor Olivier Martinez - and Gabriel Aubry, father of her four-year-old daughter Nahla, appeared in court in Los Angeles on Friday where a judge denied Halle's attempts to move to Europe, according to gossip website TMZ.

Gabriel, a Canadian model who lives and works in Los Angeles, had petitioned the court to stop Halle's plans as it would give him limited access to his daughter, while the Cloud Atlas actress argued the privacy laws are stronger in France and would keep Nahla safe from the paparazzi.

Halle - who split with Gabriel in 2010 - and Olivier, had put their wedding plans on hold while the actress focused on her custody battle but she revealed they hoped to have a child together soon. "We pray to God, so sweet. She says, 'God, please bring me a bunk bed and a baby sister.' And I say, 'I can do one of those things, I know for sure. The other one, we've got to keep praying on.' What do you say to her when she wants that and can't understand why God's taken so long?" she said.