Nicole Camille Richie is an American fashion designer, author, actress, singer and television personality. Richie rose to prominence for her role in the Fox reality television series, The Simple Life which lasted five seasons. Afterwards she turned her focus on other projects including charity work and environmental issues. In November 2007 Richie and husband, Joel Madden, created "The Richie Madden Children's Foundation". She is currently one of the three mentors on NBC's Fashion Star. Richie's personal life has also attracted media attention, including her dramatically thin appearance,... driving under the influence arrests in 2003 and 2006, as well as her extensive drug abuse throughout her late teenage years and early twenties. Nicole Richie was born in Berkeley, California. Her biological father is Peter Michael Escovedo, a musician who played for a brief time with Lionel Richie, and her biological mother Karen was the executive assistant for her aunt Sheila E. At the age of three, her parents agreed to let her move in with Lionel Richie and Brenda Harvey because they could not afford to provide for her financially.
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