Nicole Richie's parent search

Nov 28, 2007, 12:30 GMT

Nicole Richie - © Lee Roth / RothStock / PR Photos

Nicole Richie decided to "mend her issues" with her biological parents after discovering she was pregnant.

'The Simple Life' star - who went to live with singer Lionel Richie when she was two and was legally adopted by him and his then wife Brenda Harvey-Richie when she was nine - wanted to build bridges with her father, percussionist Peter Escovedo, and mother, identified only as a backstage assistant on Lionel's 1980 world tour, when she discovered they were going to be grandparents.

Nicole - who began seeing a psychotherapist when she was three and battled heroin addiction as a teenager - said: "It wasn't an overnight decision, but actually, yes. When I found out that I was pregnant, there was just something inside of me that felt a responsibility to mend any issues that I've had with my parents in the past, because listen, I have put them through a lot.

"Of course, you just want to heal any wounds before I become a mother myself."

Nicole, 26, also revealed Lionel is refusing to be called 'grandpa' and is busy coming up with alternative names.

She added to US TV show 'Access Hollywood': "He is so excited and he just doesn't stop talking about it. He has all these names that he's ready for the baby to call him, in substitute of 'grandpa,' because he doesn't like 'grandpa'."

The star, who is rumoured to be expecting a boy, also confirmed she and fiancé Joel Madden are waiting to find out the sex of the baby, but is finding it difficult because she is a "nosey" person.

(C) BANG Media International