So Nicole Richie is in rehab again, and I find the timing really convenient for Richie, who still has to face charges on her second DUI arrest. Paris is about to go to jail for 23 days for violating her parole and since Richie’s original offense of driving the wrong way on the freeway was her second DUI and is much more damning, she must be shitting bricks. (Not that’s she’s capable of a b.m. more than a couple times a week.) There’s a pretrial hearing in Nicole’s case scheduled for June 8th, which was pushed back from April. Her lawyers must be working hard to delay the case and I see this rehab stint as an effort to get her out of serving the mandatory 5 days she faces if she’s convicted.

Still, you have to have a smidgeon of sympathy for Richie, the bitchy socialite is said to be battling her weight along with an addiction to pills, and is down to just 83 pounds:

an emaciated-looking nicole richie is back in rehab where she’s being treated for an eating disorder and substance abuse.

in a joint newsgathering operation the national enquirer and star magazine have learned exclusively that the troubled reality tv star checked into the beau monde treatment center in corona del mar, california on may 11 to deal with anorexia and an addiction to pills.

when she arrived at the clinic, the 5-foot-2 celebutante weighed a shocking 83 pounds and was in tears that she had once again lost control of her life, says an insider.

“nicole’s been a mess for months,” said another source. “her weight has plummeted.”

insiders say nicole spent her first few days “detoxing” at the posh residential rehab, and then began treatment on an out-patient basis.

on the morning of may 19, the national enquirer and star observed nicole entering beau monde with an overnight bag.

she pulled up in her mercedes g wagon at about 10 am

more details are in the new issues of the national enquirer and star magazine.

Maybe I’m wrong and she’s really troubled and it’s not a bid to avoid jail, since she tried to go in secret and all. The last time she tried rehab for weight issues in October 2006, she checked out after less than a day and then passed out at club Hyde, where her friends carried her out through the back. She didn’t even get medical treatment that night.

Richie was in rehab for drug addiction in October, 2003 after a felony heroin possession charge.

She doesn’t strike me as the type to get treatment, unless she hit rock bottom or has a healthy fear of spending time behind bars. Her strategy will probably work better than Paris’ bid to make people think she’s found God, though.

Update: Richie’s rep has denied she is in rehab, saying she’s at home and “Sobriety is an ongoing process but she is sober.” I bet she was there for a few days and checked out though.

Thanks to Evil Beet for the heads up and popbytes for the story.

Richie is shown int he header image at the Race to Erase MS dance on 4/13/2007. Picture from Photorazzi.