Wednesday, 15 November 2006

• Prev
• Next

Nicole Richie denies gastric bypass rumors

The Simple Life star's rep calls the speculation "ridiculous"

Nicole Richie is denying speculation that she underwent gastric bypass surgery and then had the operation reversed.

Rumors began spreading this week after the New York Post ran a blind item claiming a "Hollywood starlet" had gastric bypass surgery – and then, after losing too much weight, went in to have the gastric band removed.

The Simple Life star's rep says that reports linking Richie to the blind item are "ridiculous."

"It is not Nicole," her publicist tells PEOPLE. "There are a ton of 'Hollywood starlets.'"

Richie's thinness has been the subject of much debate. She had dropped to around 90 lbs. – making her extremely thin, even at 5'2," PEOPLE reported recently. Last month she decided to undergo diagnostic treatment for her inability to put on weight.

Richie's father, the singer Lionel Richie, urged his daughter to seek help. "She's gonna be fine," he told PEOPLE recently. "She's worrying me to death, but she's gonna be okay."