Nicole Richie Denies Rehab Rumors

By: Shannon Gossage

Last week it was reported that Richie had entered the Beau Monde facility in Laguna Beach to seek treatment for anorexia and a pill addiction. Her rep shot down the rumors Wednesday saying, "She is not in rehab. She is at home in Glendale. Sobriety is an ongoing process, but she is sober." Richie’s rep also said, "Yes, she did go see her therapist." And added, "This is such a non-story."

Last December Richie was arrested and charged with a DUI after she was seen driving the wrong way on 134 Highway in California. When police made it to the scene Richie’s car was stopped facing the wrong way in a carpool lane and Richie was talking on her cell phone. The police reported that Richie admitted to the officers that she had smoked marijuana and taken Vicodin before getting behind the wheel. She is set to appear in court on June 8 for a pre-trial hearing stemming from the arrest.

In 2002, Richie was placed on three years probation for a DUI arrest and her license was suspended for one year. She was arrested six-months later for heroin possession and driving with a suspended license. She ended up in a rehab facility for a one-month stint to kick her addictions. She later said, "I was like a trashcan – I took everything." She claims that her drug abuse was sparked by her parent’s divorce and said, "I was definitely trying to mask hurt, abandonment. I had no idea I was feeling this way." The fifth season of Richie and pal Paris Hilton’s hit show The Simple Life is set to air on Monday on E! With Hilton headed for a 23-day sting in the clink and Richie’s upcoming court date maybe next season of the show could take place behind bars.