Nicole Richie is the March 2010 cover girl for Marie Claire UK, and these are some of the sultry photos from the shoot. I think Nicole looks lovely here - I love the dark, rich brunette hair, and her makeup looks great. Most of the clothes she’s wearing are from her new clothing line, Winter Kate, named after her daughter Harlow’s middle names.

In the interview excerpt, Nicole addresses some of the lingering rumors about an alleged eating disorder. The rumors began in earnest several years ago when Nicole dramatically lost a lot of weight. Incidentally, many people noted that she had begun to be styled by Rachel Zoe at the time. Zoe and Richie both denied their separate eating disorder rumors at the time, and for a while it seemed like Nicole and Rachel were on the outs. However, they recently made up, and their friendship continues. They just went out to dinner the other night. Equally strange is the Rachel denied her eating disorder rumors again just a few days ago too. For her part, Nicole calls the rumors “extremely insulting and irresponsible.”

This month, the cover star that everyone is talking about, is Nicole Richie - who graces the March issue of Marie Claire.

Once the wild child side-kick of Paris Hilton, Miss Richie has undeniably undergone one of the most dramatic makeovers of the decade - blossoming into a beautiful young mum, who’s boho-chic style is eminated world over.

And in our cover shoot, not only is she looking drop dead gorgeous with her newly brunette locks, but the 28-year-old gives one of her most honest and open interviews to date, talking candidly about those eating disorder rumours.

‘I felt it was a little unfair to say someone has an eating disorder when they don’t’ she says. ‘It’s extremely insulting and irresponsible.’

‘An eating disorder is serious and it’s a disease.’

The former reality TV star dropped down to a size zero back in 2006, and was snapped looking remarkably frail on the beach in her bikini.

But since the birth of daughter Harlow Winter in January 2008, and son Sparrow just over four months ago, Nicole’s appearance has transformed dramatically.

And with her happy home life, a successful jewellery line, and a fledgling fashion collection getting rave reviews, there’s no looking back.

‘I’m just one to live in the present and enjoy the time that I’m having. Going into my past is just not something that I do,’ she says. ‘Right now I’m just living my dreams.’

Read the full interview with Nicole in the March issue of Marie Claire, out now.

[From Marie Claire UK]

I’ll give Nicole the benefit of the doubt, I think. While I don’t think she lost so much weight initially (back in 2006 or whenever) the healthy way, I do think Nicole is much healthier today. I buy her transformation to earth mother and fashionista, and I don’t think she’s doing anything to damage her health. Anymore.

Photos courtesy of Marie Claire UK online.

Here is Nicole Richie debuting her new look over the weekend at a promotional event for her House of Harlow jewelry collection (which is selling really well). I have to say, this is the prettiest I think Nicole has ever been. I love the rich, dark hue of her hair now, and I love the cut - it really compliments her face. I also love that she’s not dieting and trying to loose her baby weight after Sparrow - not that she even looks like she just had a baby in September (son Sparrow), but she does look curvy and pretty, which is lovely. Us Weekly has more:

Do brunettes have more fun?

On Saturday, Nicole Richie debuted a darker do at the launch of the House of Harlow 1960 Holiday Collection at Bloomingdale’s in Costa Mesa, Calif.

“I did it about a week-and-a-half ago,” the mother-of-two, 28, told Usmagazine.com when asked about her new look. “I change my hair color all the time, and I hadn’t done it in a few years. With the babies, I just really hadn’t had time. I’m so used to having that change all the time, and I hadn’t done it in about two years, so I was just ready and sick of being blonde! I was ready for a change!”

Richie said she is gearing up for the holidays with beau Joel Madden and their two kids, Harlow (who turns 2 next month) and 3-month-old Sparrow.

Any family traditions?

“I don’t have a lot of traditions,” she said. “I have gotten a new Christmas ornament every year so I will probably do that. I’m a big eggnog drinker. Not the kind with alcohol in it, but the regular kind. I thought that everyone drinks eggnog, but as I’m getting older, I’m learning that people actually think it’s really gross, but I love it, so I will definitely have some eggnog!”

Her kids “are great,” she said, adding that Harlow “loves being a big sister.”

[From Us Weekly]

Sigh… I’ve grown to love this girl and her family. I think Nicole should be held up as an example to all of the Lindsay Lohans, Miley Cyruses, Courtney Loves and Pamela Andersons of the world that you can change. You don’t have to be a sketchy famewh-re for life, even if you’ve been one for a while. Plus, Nicole is showing those women that you look better when you’re not trying to hard to get attention - and I’m so happy Nicole has gotten rid of that ugly dirty-blonde mess!

Oh, and here are those adorable photos Nicole released last week - Harlow is such a ham! And Sparrow doesn’t know what is going on.

Nicole Richie doing promotion at the Costa Mesa, Claifornia Bloomingdales on Saturday, December 12 2009. Credit: David Tonnessen, PacificCoastNews.com. Additional photos of Nicole and her family from her website.

We heard last week that Nicole Richie would produce and star in a new sitcom for ABC. That’s fair enough, we’ve already seen that Richie can be funny, albeit by being rude and mean, on her scripted reality show with Paris Hilton, “The Simple Life.” Maybe Richie has changed since becoming a mother and is ready to show that she’s a gentler person who can find humor in everyday life. We have yet to see if she can act, though.

There’s a new report in the National Enquirer that suggests that Richie might be sinking her big chance at sitcom stardom before it’s begun. She’s said to be besties with Ashlee Simpson and to be offering Simpson a major role on the show. Ashlee can’t act her way out of a paper bag and this is a huge mistake on Richie’s part. I have a hard time sitting through Ashlee’s scenes on Melrose Place and I love that trashy soap opera.

Nicole Richie has a generous Christmas gift for BFF Ashlee Simpson-Wentz - a co-starring role on her ABC sitcom…

“Nicole promised Ashlee that writers would craft a central role for her,” revealed the source. The two women and their children spend a lot of time socializing together, and Nicole decided she’d like to work with her close friend.

Nicole’s generous offer could not have come at a better time for Ashlee.

The 25 year-old former pop star is still being devastated over being uncermoniously axed from “Melrose Place” just two months into the season. She made her Broadway debut on Nov. 30, taking on the role of Roxie Hart in a revival of “Chicago,” but her planned 10-week-run ends in February.

Again, have these writers not seen the Melrose Place reboot? Ashlee’s character is being killed off for a good reason. The girl thinks that acting involves widening her eyes and scrunching up her mouth. I hope that someone tells Richie that she’ll have to have a real actress as co-star instead of a friend. If not, this series is surely doomed. Why doesn’t Ashlee go back to making mediocre pop music? I thought she was trying to pass herself off as a singer, not an actress. Musical theater is also a decent route for her, but not acting.

Here’s Ashlee outside a performance of Chicago in NY on 12/6/09. Nicole Richie is shown outside a Jay-Z concert with Samantha Ronson on 11/8/09. Credit: Fame Pictures.

Nicole Richie is already a “writer” and a very successful designer. (I don’ t think she likes to call herself a “socialite” anymore). And she’s a mom to two young kids. Even by Hollywood standards, she’s got a good deal on her plate. But that isn’t stopping her from trying to officially become an actress. She’s created a sitcom that’s been picked up by ABC, and it sounds like it has the potential to be decent. So far the plot that they’ve discussed sounds really generic, but it’s in its early phases and still vague. And they’ve got good writers and producers attached, which means it could end up being good.

If you thought Nicole Richie’s reality show was a bit too scripted, what about a scripted show that seems true to life? The Hollywood socialite, 28, is developing an ABC sitcom in which she would both star and produce. Variety says the show will use a single camera, and the concept was Richie’s idea.

Daisy Gardner (Californication) is due to write it, while Warren Bell (According to Jim) will executive produce and supervise the pilot script, reports the trade paper.

“The story revolves around a young, modern and professional woman who must balance her business and family relationships,” Richie writes on her Web site. “She must deal with, and navigate the many ideas of what a woman’s role is: modern vs. traditional.” The mother of two says she’ll use what she sees in her real life to create the show. (Besides this ABC project, Richie is at work on her second novel, not to mention the unveiling of her clothing and shoe labels).

“Lately, I have been surrounded by many different women of all ages and walks of life. It amazes me to watch and observe how many different ideas there are about what a woman’s role should be in this era,” she writes.

“I’ve taken these fascinating ideas, and compiled them into something that I think will be very special (and funny!). We’re still in the very early stages and I can’t wait to share more with you soon!”

[From People]

The whole, “The story revolves around a young, modern and professional woman who must balance her business and family relationships,” sounds insanely dull and like something that’s been done (blandly) about a hundred times. But Nicole is known for her edgy (and sometimes way too over the line) sense of humor, which was often displayed on “The Simple Life.” We haven’t heard about much of her bad behavior in a long time, but maybe if she still has that in her, she could bring some spunk and fire to the show. But right now everything she’s said sounds like she’s playing it safe, and to rather dull effect. There are so few good sitcoms on anymore, but it seems like people are missing them and there are a few new ones popping up every season. It’d be nice if Nicole did something to set hers apart so it actually stayed around, instead of going to ABC family friendly/every night is TGIF route.

Here’s Nicole at the March of Dimes 4th Annual Celebration of Babies at The Four Seasons Hotel on November 7th and with Joel Madden at the noble Awards held at the Beverly Hills Hilton on October 18th. Images thanks to WENN.com .

Nicole Richie has been granted a three year restraining order against two paparazzi that seemed to deliberately rear end her car in early October. Both Richie and her longterm partner, Joel Madden, testified in a hearing yesterday, with the judge granting Richie’s request for the restraining order. The two photographers, who Nicole says “harass and stalk” her “daily,” must stay 50 feet away at all times. One of them apologized to Richie, and they both denied that that they’d been on her property, as Richie stated in her testimony. People Magazine is focusing their report on a lawyer mistakenly calling Joel Madden Richie’s “husband” in a question where he asked her if she called her “husband” after the accident. Richie didn’t correct him, so given the rumors that she’s secretly married to Madden this is some kind of big deal:

Maybe it was nerves. Or maybe it just wasn’t the time to issue a clarification.

But in court Monday, Nicole Richie’s lawyer Mark Geragos referred to Joel Madden as her husband and Richie didn’t correct him. The pair have been together for years and have two children.

The marital reference came up during her 15 minutes of testimony at a hearing in which a judge issued a restraining order against two aggressive paparazzi.

Richie, 28, wearing black slacks, a black-and-white blouse and her hair in a bun, stated on the witness stand she was “crying hysterically and scared” last month after she was rear-ended by the two photographers, who she says “stalk and harass” her daily.

“Did you call your husband?” asked Geragos.

“Yes,” Richie said.

Madden also testified, telling L.A. Superior Court Judge Carol Boas Goodson that Richie “is terrified” that the photographers might cause another accident involving their children, Harlow, 22 months, and Sparrow, 9 weeks, whom she’s with “24/7,” he said.

The photographers, Ivon Miguel and Eduardo Arrivabene, attended the hearing and denied that they ever trespassed on Richie’s property, which she alleged. At one point, Miguel stated to Richie, “I want to apologize for the accident. You don’t have to worry about us. I come from a good family.”

But the judge ordered the men to stay 50 yards away from Richie and her two children until 2012.

[From People]

TMZ is reporting that these two aren’t married and it’s just a matter of the lawyer misspeaking. In all seriousness, it’s a good thing that Richie has some protection against these paparazzi that were bothering her. The accident could have been much worse. She has two very young kids she’s responsible for and she doesn’t need the stress of worrying about their safety. As we’ve mentioned before, a tough new anti-paparazzi law will go into effect in California in January. It will make it a crime to “take and sell unauthorized photos of celebrities in ‘personal or familial activity.’” I love to see pictures of celebrities out with their cute kids, but if it comes at the expense of their well being it’s not worth it. This law should hopefully help avoid future accidents like the one that Richie suffered.

Surprising no one, Star Magazine’s cover story this week is total crap. They claim that Nicole Richie and Joel Madden got married a few weeks ago. If that was the basic gist of the report, I wouldn’t think anything of it. After all, a bunch of different sources were running variations on the “Joel and Nicole might be secretly married” story, including us. Star Magazine took it to a different level though. According to Star, “The long-time loves exchanged vows during an intimate at-home ceremony on Oct. 14 with Joel’s brother and bandmate Benji as a witness. But the couple were hardly alone on their big day. They were actually married — along with 45,000 other people worldwide! — as part of a mass wedding by the Unification Church.” Of course this was crap. Joel Madden called Star Magazine out with a low-key, two-sentence posting on Good Charlotte’s website:

Hold those congratulations: Nicole Richie and Joel Madden haven’t gotten hitched. The new issue of Star claims they’ve wed, but Madden, 30, denies it on his band’s website.

“I keep getting emails from old friends and family asking about a wedding. NO we didn’t get married,” he blogs.

Richie, 28, and Madden are parents to 1-month Sparrow and 21-month-old daughter Harlow.

Last May, they said they have no immediate plans to wed.

“I think for both of us, we are going to do it because we want to, not because that’s what you do,” Richie told CNN’s Larry King. “We’re going to do it when the time’s right.”

Added Madden, “We’re really focused on our family, and … we already feel kind of married, you know? Our family system that we have down, we feel like this is a real family and marriage, one day it will come.”

[From Us Weekly]

What more is there to say? They might get married at some point, they might not. It’s their business, and they seem to be keeping their stuff pretty private these days, save for the odd People Magazine cover celebrating their cute kids. Most sources claim that Joel is the one who really wants to get married, and that Nicole is the one who doesn’t seem to care. I have no idea if that’s the case. But I do hope that both of them agree on their decision not to marry. I’d hate to think either of them was holding some kind of grudge.

Nicole Richie and Joel Madden debuted their beautiful new son Sparrow James Midnight Madden on the cover of People. Siblings often look the same as babies (duh statement of the day right there) but Sparrow and Harlow don’t look all that similar to me. Here’s Nicole’s People cover with Harlow a year and a half ago. She had bigger eyes (though she’s a little older in her People cover) than Sparrow. They’re both cute as a bug’s ear – and talking about babies is really the best time to use that phrase.

According to People, Nicole and Joel are incredibly happy, and Sparrow and Harlow are bonding wonderfully.

Six weeks after welcoming their first son, Nicole Richie and Joel Madden – along with their 21-month-old daughter Harlow – are showing off the latest addition to their family, Sparrow James Midnight Madden.

“I couldn’t be happier,” Richie tells PEOPLE. “The only thing you want is for your kids to be healthy and happy, and they are. I’m right where I belong.”

In an interview at their home in Laurel Canyon in Los Angeles, Richie, 28, and Madden, 30, her boyfriend and front man of the band Good Charlotte, say they are deprived of sleep, but grateful their daughter Harlow is now fawning over a baby brother.

“I’m glad I had a girl before I had a boy,” says Richie. “She just loves him so much.” Adds the children’s proud papa, “She’s very gentle with him.”

[From People]

As with all unusual celebrity baby names, there’s a wide range of opinions on Sparrow. I like his name, were it not for the “Midnight.” I think just one standout name is best, otherwise you end up with a Pilot Inspektor situation. There have been rumors floating around since Monday that Joel and Nicole either have secretly gotten married or are about to. According to Radar, they’ve taken out a marriage license, though they certainly haven’t made any announcement. And Nicole’s father Lionel Richie made a comment about welcoming Joel into the family. They certainly haven’t rushed to the altar, but it would be sweet if they did.

Last week, a report surfaced on Radar that Nicole Richie and Joel Madden may have been secretly married shortly after the birth of their second child, son Sparrow. Radar reported that Nicole and Joel had already gotten a marriage license, and that perhaps if they weren’t already wed, they would be soon. I kind of thought “meh” to the rumors at first. Although I believe Nicole and Joel are tight, there have been rumors about an impending wedding for a while. Here’s the first report:

Have Nicole and Joel finally tied the knot?

Rumors have been circulating throughout Hollywood and beyond on Thursday that after two babies Nicole and Joel have walked down the aisle.

One source says that Nicole and Joel, real name Joel Ryan Combs, obtained a marriage license sometime last week and married in a top secret ceremony on Wednesday.

On September 9th Nicole gave birth to the couple’s second child, a little boy they named Sparrow. Sparrow joined his big sister, Harlow, who was born January 2008.

A source tells RadarOnline.com that Richie has been talking more seriously about marriage since the tragic death of her long term boyfriend, Adam Goldstein, in August.

But did she take the plunge?

RadarOnline.com called her rep and spoke to an assistant several hours ago. We popped the question but so far it’s been silence from that star’s official mouthpiece.

So did they get married? Or should you file this under the category of We Know It Will Happen One Day, But It Hasn’t Happened Yet?!

[From Radar]

Now Radar is reporting that Joel, Nicole and Nicole’s dad Lionel Richie all attended the Noble Awards last night, and that Lionel might have dropped a wedding hint. Lionel presented an award to Joel for his charitable work, and said “I want to welcome him to our family and present this Noble award to a guy I love very much - Joel Madden!” Hm… “welcome” him to the family, you say? Could it be that Joel and Nicole were actually married in some completely quiet, subdued ceremony? Radar takes pains to say that neither Nicole nor Joel would say anything confirming or denying a secret wedding ceremony, so it’s not like we know for sure. But Lionel’s statement does stand out, amateur detectives. Let me get my spy-glass! Yes, I think there’s a good chance they did get married. If they did, congratulations to the happy couple! Many blessings.

Yesterday we reported that Nicole Richie was involved in a traffic accident involving two tabloid photographers who rear-ended the mother of two while tailing her to snap photos. Celebitchy said that she believed the accident was intentional on the part of the paps - and now, it looks like Richie, who sustained unspecified injuries from the crash, feels the same way. A high-profile lawyer and private investigator were spotted visiting Richie’s home after her release from the hospital.

Looks like Nicole Richie may be lawyering up after her car crash yesterday — and the lawyer is none other than Mark Geragos.

We got this shot of Tamar Arminak — a lawyer in Geragos’ firm — and master P.I. Scott Ross entering Nicole Richie’s property about an hour ago. Ross works for Geragos and the two of them have handled a bunch of celeb cases, including most recently People vs. Chris Brown.

We’re told Richie is angry at the photog and may sue him — she thinks he intentionally rear-ended her to create some drama.

[From TMZ.com]

People confirmed TMZ’s story, adding that Richie’s mom, Brenda, also came to visit her daughter and grandkids upon Nicole’s release from the hospital.

Sources say Richie spent several hours at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles Monday following the accident. On Tuesday, according to sources, she was visited by her mother, Brenda Richie, at the home she shares with Joel Madden and their two kids, Harlow, 22 months and 1-month-old Sparrow.

Eduardo Arrivebene, who rear-ended Richie’s vehicle while she was driving with a passenger Monday, was arrested for driving without a license. He was later freed on $1,225 bail.

Following the incident, Lt. Tony Lee of the Beverly Hills Police told PEOPLE that Richie “complained of pain” but declined to be taken to the hospital by paramedics, opting instead to take herself there.

A rep for Richie has declined to comment about her condition.

Following the accident, Richie reportedly hired celebrity attorney Mark Geragos.

[From People]

You know, I hope Nicole not only sues this guy but presses criminal charges as well. If this were just a routine fender bender that would be one thing, but the photographer and his buddy were chasing her and when they didn’t get what they wanted out of the encounter they decided to escalate the situation. The other photographer in the car with the driver was seen snapping photos of the accident, of Nicole crying, and even his buddy being led away in cuffs. Seems like a set-up to me. At the very least, Nicole should be able to get an injunction forbidding any profits from being made from these photos. Everyone has said that it was a blessing her little children weren’t in the car with her. Something tells me that even if they had been, it wouldn’t have stopped these photogs from setting up their “drama shots.”

Here are the paparazzi that were in the car that hit Nicole Richie. The guy in the handcuffs is identified as “Bam Bam” and his buddy is called “Ivan.” Credit: WENN.com. Nicole Richie is shown on 9/26/09. Credit: Fame Pictures

Nicole Richie on 9/26/09. We have chosen not to include photos of her after the accident. Credit: Fame Pictures

Nicole Richie was in a fender bender yesterday afternoon in Beverly Hills in which her Range Rover was rear ended by a photographer. The mother of two, who just had her second baby on September 9, was driving with another unnamed adult passenger. Luckily none of her children were in the car at the time. The freelance photographer tailing Richie was arrested on suspicion of driving without a license and police sources quoted by People say that it’s “likely [to] be a misdemeanor traffic violation, and the photographer’s vehicle will be towed.” There was another photographer in the car with him at the time.

Richie reportedly told police that she was in pain following the accident, and was photographed crying - presumably by either the guy who hit her or his buddy. No paramedics were called. While People reports that it’s not known if she went to the hospital, photo agency Fame has pictures of her leaving her house for Cedars Sinai shortly afterwards with her boyfriend, Joel Madden. (We are not publishing those, but are including photos of the guy who rear ended her.)

This makes me mad not only because the creep must have been following Nicole closely, but also because he clearly profited from selling the photos of the accident that he caused - while driving without a license! Did he hit her on purpose in order to get better photos? This reminds me of something George Clooney once said about the paparazzi - “It’s high-speed chases and they’re competing with each other. They’re not trying to catch me doing something stupid, they’re trying to create me doing something stupid.”

Around the time Britney had her breakdown in early 2008 there was a lot of talk about passing additional laws to put limits on paparazzi in LA County. From what I can tell, the police were more aggressive toward breaking up throngs of photographers using existing laws but no new laws were passed at the time.

There was an earlier law passed in California in 2005 that was meant to protect against the very thing that Clooney was rallying against - photographers causing a disturbance in order to get more valuable photos. Paparazzi are liable for three times the amount of normal civil damages in the case of “assault committed with the intent to capture any type of visual image, sound recording, or other physical impression of the plaintiff.” Maybe that law will apply in this case, although the fact that the guy was driving without a license makes it seem as if he wouldn’t have deliberately rear ended Richie, and was probably just following too closely.