Nicole Richie: "I'm eating at least every hour"

As we exclusively reported earlier this week, Nicole Richie has noqualms about gaining pregnancy weight. Once notoriously skinny, the25-year-old tells Diane Sawyer in parts two and three of her interview on Good Morning America and 20/20 (read about part one here) that she’snever had an eating disorder and assures she’s doing — and eating — everything she canto have a healthy baby.

Do I eat is kind of an understatement. I eat all the time, especiallynow. I’m constantly hungry. I’m eating at least every hour. Just like any mother, you want to take the best care of yourself, especially while you’re pregnant. I’m definitely eating healthier and I’m really playing by therules. Ido not drink caffeine at all, cut out sushi. No alcohol…Nomarijuana…No pills…Nothing.

Expounding on the issue of her weight, Nicole says she’s gained ‘maybe 10 lbs‘ in the last four months. When Diane questions her as to whether she will be okay with gaining the recommended 25 lbs, Nicole quickly corrects her, saying,

We’re thinking 40 [lbs]…it just depends on your body. [Gaining weight] is what my baby needs and to me, numbers don’t meananything. If I gain 40 lbs, if I gain 50 lbs, then that’s obviously what my body needs to do.

Nicole has been satiating her cravings, which run the gamut, at all hours of the day.

The cravings are a little out of control. I’ve had spaghetti with meatsauce for breakfast or at 3 a.m. Anything that you can imagine.

All the while, Joel Madden has been acting like the typical exciteddad-to-be. In their pregnancy video diary, the Good Charlotte rockerreveals he’s doing his part to ensure their child carries on thefamily music legacy.

We sing Marvin Gaye and we are loving on the baby. And I got these[headphones] to put on Nicole’s stomach so I’m ready to musically giftmy child.

There is one thing Joel doesn’t want to pass onto his baby.

Let me just tell you something I hope you don’t inherit from your father – my teeth.

As the couple gears up for parenthood, Nicole remains contrite over herpast indiscretions and says pregnancy and impending motherhood havegiven her a new perspective on life and responsibility.

Especially since I’ve been pregnant, that has really influenced a lotof decisions that I’ve made recently because [if I had a daughter] Iwouldn’t want my daughter, who is obviously very impressionable,looking up to someone who is constantly making bad decisions. I’m reallysorry for not accepting that earlier.

I’m about to enter a world thatis so different and so much more exciting than anything else that I’vegone through. I can only control the future. I can’t change the past. Iplan to live a very healthy and respectable life and be a good examplefor little girls that are looking up to me.

Click here for partial video of the interview.

Thanks to Chrissy for screencaps.

Comments

I’m sorry but I don’t believe her at all when she says she’s never had an eating disorder, judging by several pictures I’ve seen of her on the internet where she was extremely skinny. People who don’t have eating disorders don’t look like that.

- Elena on August 3rd, 2007

Her baby bump is so cute, and she looked healthy on GMA. Joel and her seem very happy too.

- gabriella on August 3rd, 2007

I saw the 20/20 interview tonight and I have to admit to melting into a puddle of sentimental goo at the home video of them “singing Marvin Gaye and loving on the baby”. The home movies of the two are more telling than the interview itself to me. It sure looks like that baby’s going to have two fantastic parents. They look like they’re madly in love and absolutely over the moon about this child. I’m really rooting for them and their little family!

- Grayson's Girl on August 4th, 2007

In response to Elena.. There is a difference between someone who’s depressed,sad, not happy, and stressed and they just don’t eat..they don’t have an appetite anymore to where someone is completely obsessed over food and their life revolves around dieting. Hope that makes some sense. I’m not agreeing with Nicole or disagreeing, we’ll probably never know..

As for Nicole and Joel, I think they’re going to be fine! After watching those interviews you can tell she’s really matured! She seems so excited..and is doing everything she should for at least her baby’s sake.

- me on August 4th, 2007

I don’t think she had an eating disorder either because she had used drugs. Heroin and cocaine. She said so in the interview and Diane asked her ‘could your drug use attribute to your thinness?’ Nicole replied ‘I think so.’ or ‘It could of.’

- Lola on August 4th, 2007

I saw the 20/20 episode and well all I can say is I have alot of respect for Nicole now. I mean she’s taking responsibility the mistakes she made and she’s not trying to get out of them. Unlike Paris. I like nicole, I always have out of the two. I wish them all the best. Whether she had a eating disorder or not, she’s now maturing into a responsible adult. I think it’s great that she doesn’t want to get out of going to jail and has faced the consquences of her past actions.

- nanny on August 4th, 2007

I think she just doesn’t want to reveal the real reason why she was so underweight and skinny. I’m not a doctor, but I imagine it could have been drugs too. Diane dd ask her if she thought maybe drugs had something to do with her weight problems and she said that was possible. I’ve read reports before on the things that some hollywood girls will do to stay skinny and it includes taking diet pills, uppers to speed metabolism, medicines meant for horses etc – all sorts of things. I don’t know – could have been an eating disorder, but it may have been a combination of factors like drugs, dieting, stress etc. Whatever the case, it appears she’s dedicated to staying healthy and that’s what matters now.

- madison on August 4th, 2007

From the comment thread before this new one got started a lot of people kept saying how pregnancy will change Nicole for the better and make her live more responsibly and stuff like that!!…..well i doubt that a lot because i remember when Britney Spears first got pregnant people were saying a lot of similar things about her too but VIOLA!!…after two kids her behaviour only spiralled downwards and she’s worse off than before she got pregnant!!..so what are we talking about?!!!…

- dark angel on August 4th, 2007

I will be the first to admit I was skeptical about the whole thing…but honestly, after watching them on 20/20 I was really blown away and impressed with Nicole…and Joel too but especially Nicole…Joel really seems to be a calming influence on her and i thought she was articulate and reflective and while it’s not as if she got 20 years in prison, she does seem to understand the severity of what happened and is taking responsibility for it…she’s not denying it or pretending it didn’t happen…

And just my sense from the interview but it seems like this baby has completely changed her life…and for me it seemed totally sincere ya know? It didn’t seem fake or like she was reading it from a prepared statement…of course only time will tell but I am willin to give her the benefit of the doubt–and judging from what we heard, this baby has two loving parents who are going to put him/her first and that is a wonderful thing…they seem completely grounded and in love with each other and their baby…

KUDOS to them both…

- Megan on August 4th, 2007

I completely agree with Megan’s post. I’ve never been a Nicole Richie fan; to me she was just another one of “those” Hollywood girls. It’s actually a breath of fresh air to see someone trying to change things around in their life for the sake of their child (unlike another famous young Hollywood mother, who shall go unnamed…). I agree that it did seem as though Nicole is very sincere and not just feeding the media a bunch of crapola.

Likewise, I always though Joel Madden was a skeeze bag for dating Hilary Duff, who was much younger than him. Now I have much more respect for him as a person and a father who is stepping up to the role and supporting his partner (again, unlike another famous Hollywood dad who refuted paternity to his child…)

- Nicolie on August 4th, 2007

Good for her! I hope this is the real deal as she sounds so much more mature than her previous life.

- HollyCatherineSlavic on August 4th, 2007

i am oh-so-happy for them, finally being able to share their happy news.

and great for her, knowing she should gain around 40, and accepting it! i gained huge amounts with my children, because my body needed it (plus a little overindulgence, i guess, hehe), but i was totally okay with it, and i wish i could help every insecure woman to feel okay with the pregnancy pounds. good for nicole!

- jaq on August 4th, 2007

Even though I’ve been duped by “sincere” interviews b4, I was impressed w/ both of them. When Joel said “then I get her” and looked at her, that was not fake. I’m rooting for these two. Lots of luck to their happiness and health!

- Hilda on August 4th, 2007

I am really rooting for these two!! I believe she gets it! Congratulations to Nicole and Joel!

- Campbell on August 5th, 2007

Personally, I’m guessing that Nicole will have a girl. This is because In Touch Weekly reported that she is having a boy (which is why CBB had to explain in a few previous Nicole Richie posts that they, in fact, have NOT found out the sex of the baby)….and it seems like practically every time a Tabloid annouces that “It’s a girl/boy for *insert name of pregnant celeb and her boyfriend/husband/partner here*!” the baby ends up being the opposite gender!
A few cases in point: When Katie Holmes was pregnant with Suri, it was reported that she and Tom were expecting a boy. When Angelina Jolie was pregnant with Shiloh, it was reported that she and Brad were expecting a boy. I think I even remember a tabloid or two announcing that Britney was expecting a girl when she was pregnant with Jayden.
Anyway, since a tabloid “announced” that Nicole is having a boy, I’m guessing she will actually have a girl!

- Annoynomus on August 6th, 2007