“It's hard to tell you has your back from who has it long enough just to stab you in it." On September 21, 1981 Nicole Richie was born in Berkeley, California. Her father is a Latin musician named Peter Escovedo. At the age of nine she was adopted by Lionel Richie. Once her adopted parents had divorced, Lionel had remarried which gave Nicole now two younger siblings, Myles and Sofia. She has been through so much in her life which has made her a strong well-rounded woman that she is today. Even though her mistakes aren’t so wonderful, she has learned from them.
To begin with, after the adoption her life had change drastically. With a new family and a new city she had to learn how to adjust and had to quickly. Her life wasn’t publicized so much until Lionel had an affair on his now ex wife Brenda. That had a great affect on her which led her to having to see a psychotherapist throughout her childhood. “After the separation their way of making me happy was to say yes to everything I wanted, but I don’t think a little girl should have that much freedom,” said Richie in an interview (Nicole Richie Biography). She began kindergarten at age five at The Buckley School located in Sherman Oaks, California. Attending to Buckley also allowed her to meet her best friend Paris Hilton. Figure skating was a main priority of hers while music was slowly coming into her life. In 1999 she graduated from Montclair College Preparatory school then attended to the University of Arizona to study arts and music for two years. Once she discovered the life of Hollywood she dropped out of college and became a TV star. Having a parent in the music industry had influenced her to start a career in the Hollywood business. Her biological dad was already a big hit and now her adopted father is an even bigger hit. If she was never born into a music related family she wouldn’t have been so attached to getting famous.
In addition, in 2003, Nicole and Paris had started a hit TV series called “The Simple Life.” The series was a reality show which had them live for a month with a family in different parts of the United States. In later seasons they were road tripping across the states performing various internships. By April 2005 the show was falling apart because their relationship was falling apart. “Nicole knows what she did, and that’s all I’m ever going to say about it,” Hilton said at an interview (Khara). Once the two girls had reconciled they started the fourth season of their hit TV show which was now called The Simple Life: Till Death Do Us Part. Once the season was over they went on their separate ways. Nicole made appearances in films and on Fox’s MadTV. Her first supporting role was as a cheerleader in the 2005 movie “Kids in America.” Her first book (The Truth about Diamonds) was a semi-autobiographical. Richie was also a former model for Bongo Jeans and is now the face of Jimmy Choo. She also promotes Diet Dr Pepper in several locations. Her first musical hit “Dandelion” had dropped in 2005. She co-hosted the 19th Annual Soul Train Music Awards. She now has six tracks that finished her record. Her TV series had put her in a great start for her fame. If her staring in The Simple Life never happened she wouldn’t have been in the position she is now. Her career went through different stages.
Lastly, Richie has gone through drug addictions, alcoholism and eating disorders. Throughout the years with fame, parties and the spotlights, drinking and drugs became a habit. In February 2003, Richie was arrested for driving while on a suspended driver’s license and she was also in the possession for heroin. Police had found a decent amount of heroin in her Mercedes-Benz. She was found guilty to all charges and sentenced to the Sierra Tucson rehabilitation center in Arizona. In December 2006 she was arrested again for failing a sobriety test. “At the age of 18 I was doing a lot of drugs, mostly cocaine”, Richie says (Silverman). She was charged for DUI and was at risk to serve jail time. She willingly admits to smoking marijuana and taking Vicodin before her accident. She accepted a plea agreement and was sentence to four days in jail. However, she only served eighty-fix minutes of that four day jail sentence. Her probation was terminated in December 2010 after her lawyer had presented a case stating she followed and completed all probation terms. The first time she tried China White heroin got her hooked on heroin. She thought it was something to get her away from the drama in her life which caused her to just not care. Nicole decided it was time to get help after she saw the problems it was causing her parents. Her new appearance in 2006 turned heads. She claims she didn’t have an eating disorder although it was obvious she did. She blames stress for having complications with her weight. Her breakup with ex fiancé DJ AM was also a reason for losing an excessive amount of weight. "I get really stressed out, and I do lose my appetite, but I do force myself to eat”, Richie had stated in an interview with Vanity Fair (Lehner). In 2007, Richie was rushed to the hospital for dehydration. Her representatives announced she was fully diagnosed with hypoglycemia. After going through programs for her problems she realized what she did wasn’t right. She’s now a healthy mother of two.
To sum it up, nobody is perfect; everyone has struggles and has to face a new obstacle every day. Nicole’s mistakes have changed her to be a great person. She learned what she does was not right and has changed for the best. A lesson learned was drugs can ruin your life and can tear your family apart. An eating disorder isn’t a joke it’s extremely serious. Her childhood has taught her to be strong. “I am learning so much about myself that for me to tell other people what to do in their lives is something I'm not really fit to do. I'm a work in progress. I'm not 'there' yet. I don't know whether I'll ever be 'there.” (Showbiz)