Nicole Richie has learnt a lot about "love and compassion" since becoming a mom.
The 32-year-old star is married to Good Charlotte rocker Joel Madden and the couple have daughter Harlow, six, and four-year-old son Sparrow together. Before becoming a parent Nicole had a turbulent lifestyle, being arrested several times and entering a rehab facility. It seems the two little ones have helped turn her life around.
"It's the best. It teaches you a lot about yourself and about patience and about coming from a place of love and constant compassion," she told British magazine Closer.
"Having kids gives you the opportunity to be the real you. I love being a mother and being a real example to my kids. It's fun - you get to relive your childhood all over again."
Nicole is the adopted daughter of legendary singer Lionel Richie and his ex-wife Brenda Harvey, who he split from after an affair with his future-second spouse Diane Alexander. He and Diane divorced in 2004.
The father and daughter star in Nicole's latest reality TV show Candidly Nicole, along with her sister Sofia, Lionel's daughter with Diane.
Joel and the kids don't appear in the programme, but the lavender-haired star is happy some of her family joined her on the small screen.
"Joel isn't on the show - I'd never force him! The only members of my family on it are my dad and my sister," she explained. "My dad can't get enough of it! My sister is super-cute and will probably be an entertainer, so she needs to get used to being on camera."
This isn't the first time Nicole has let people inside her life. She and former best friend Paris Hilton were the stars of humorous show The Simple Life. Despite a public fallout in 2005, Nicole is still open to the idea of a reunion.
"I always say 'never say never,' so I wouldn't rule out a reunion!" she smiled. "I haven't spoken to her in a while, but we're very good friends. I love her and her family. I have a lot of respect for her."
