2006

Nicole Richie

September 12

The Skinny on Thin

After months of media attention that her dramatic weight loss was the result of a serious problem, Richie declares on The Tyra Banks Show, ''I am not anorexic. I am not bulimic. I do not have an eating disorder." She admits to being very thin, and says she's seeing a nutritionist and therapist to deal with what she described as stress-related weight loss.

Nicole Richie

October 09

Why Can't We Be Friends?

After two years of feuding, it appears as if Richie and Paris Hilton have reconciled when the two dine together in West Hollywood. Spotted again sitting side by side at the Victoria's Secret Fashion Show, the heiresses are set to begin the fifth season of The Simple Life.

Nicole Richie

November 13

Weight Issues Resurface

After the New York Post runs a blind item stating that a Hollywood starlet had undergone gastric bypass surgery, only to have lost too much weight and have the gastric band removed, many point fingers at Richie. She firmly denies the rumors. By the end of the month, her recovery efforts for her weight issues begin to look successful. On top of gaining five pounds, she also reportedly splits from two-year stylist Rachel Zoe.

Nicole Richie

December 11

Wrong Way

Officers stop Richie after receiving 911 calls that a black Mercedes SUV was driving the wrong direction on the highway. She's arrested in Burbank, Calif. and released on $15,000 bail. In February, Richie pleads not guilty to a misdemeanor for DUI. She faces mandatory jail time of 90 days up to one year if she is convicted for this second DUI (her first conviction was in June 2003).

2007

Nicole Richie

January 01

New Beginnings with Joel Madden

Richie rings in the new year with her new guy Joel Madden, who recently split from girlfriend of two and a half years Hilary Duff. The couple also vacations together in Cabo San Lucas, Mexico.

Nicole Richie

July 27

A Bump & Jail Time

In the wake of Richie's rumored pregnancy and bump watch, she is sentenced to four days in jail and three years of probation at her DUI hearing, where boyfriend Madden was at her side (left). Days later, Richie announces that she is four months pregnant with her and Madden's first child. In January 2008, they welcome a daughter, Harlow Winter Kate Madden.

2008

Nicole Richie

March

Harlow's Big Reveal!

Richie unveils her and Madden's latest addition, infant daughter Harlow Winter, on the cover of PEOPLE. "I feel like she's an extension of me," Richie tells PEOPLE. "Everything I do, I think about how it will benefit her or hurt her. She's never out of my mind. I stop doing things for me anymore. Everything is for her."

Nicole Richie

October 20

'We're So Blessed!'

Richie appears on her second PEOPLE cover with baby Harlow, where the former party girl reveals how she purees her own green beans and records Harlow's every smile. "She's the best mom I've ever seen," Madden says. "She and I do everything together," Riche says of her 9-month-old daughter. "It's so fun, especially now that she's older."

Photo Credits

BIOGRAPHY (top to bottom): Kevin Mazur/WireImage; RAMEY; Frazer Harrison/Getty; Most Wanted/Flynet; Splash News Online

Edited by Mai Dinh, Janet Murphy