Nicole not anorexic

Showbiz

13:30 08 September 2006

A doctor has told Lionel Richie his adopted daughter Nicole is not anorexic.

The concerned singer took Nicole - who has previously admitted she is too thin - to see a medical professional but was left surprised when told his daughter was not suffering from an eating disorder.

Lionel told Swedish newspaper Expressen: "I stood in front of the doctor, looked him in the eyes, and I said 'Is it anorexia?' And he said, 'It isn't anorexia.'"

The doctor told the 'Hello' singer that Nicole's dramatic weight loss was "stress related" and that he believed it was due to Lionel's divorce from her mother Brenda Harvey, in 1993, when Nicole was 12, as well as the intense interest in the reality TV star's private life.

Lionel also admitted he fears his daughter could suffer the same sad fate as the late Princess Diana, because of the constant media interest in her life.

He added: "I live with the constant fear that Nicole is going to become the next Princess Diana.

"Just to give an example of how crazy everything has become, I always know when Nicole is on her way home because she is always followed by a helicopter and seven cars. It's harassment."

(C) BANG Media International