Nicole Richie, Fiance Call Off Engagement

NEW YORK – Nicole Richie and her fiance, Adam Goldstein, have called off their nine-month engagement.

Richie's publicist, Cindy Guagenti, confirmed to The Associated Press on Wednesday that the couple have split. She said the breakup had been in the works for several days, but would not give any further details.

The split was first reported by "Access Hollywood" and Us Weekly magazine.

Richie, co-star of the reality series "The Simple Life," and Goldstein, a professional club DJ who goes by the name DJ AM, had dated for a year before becoming engaged last February.

Richie, the 24-year-old daughter of R&B crooner Lionel Richie, will begin shooting the fourth season of "Simple Life" early next year. Richie and her co-star and ex-friend, Paris Hilton, have feuded publicly in the past year.

The new format of "The Simple Life" will air on E! — not Fox — and will allow Richie and Hilton to remain separated. They will each take turns playing a "wife" and running households, with the family involved each week deciding which did a better job.

Hilton announced in October that she was ending her own engagement to Greek shipping heir Paris Latsis.