LOS ANGELES - Socialite Nicole Richie, whose rail-thin appearance in recent photos has stoked tabloid speculation of an eating disorder, has checked into a treatment facility to address her inability to gain weight, her publicist said on Thursday.

"She is working with a team of doctors and specialists whose focus is nutrition," spokeswoman Nicole Perna said in a statement. "It is important to Nicole that she achieves this goal in a healthy way as this is not a treatment for an eating disorder."

Richie, the 25-year-old daughter of singer Lionel Richie, has publicly acknowledged her obvious loss of weight in recent months, telling Vanity Fair magazine: "I know I'm too thin right now. ... I'm not happy with the way I look."

And she told People magazine that "stress" over the breakup with her former fianc¨¦ had briefly affected her eating habits. But she has vehemently denied as "rumor" media reports suggesting she suffered from an eating disorder.

Her admission to the unidentified facility has forced a delay in production of the latest installment of her popular TV reality show, "A Simple Life," producers said.

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