The internet was left in total disbelief this past Sunday after Nicole Richie shared a rare photo of her eldest daughter, Harlow, who is unbelievably now 15 years old.
The former reality star has two kids with her husband Joel Madden, who she married back in 2010. Harlow was born in 2008 – her mom named her jewelry and clothing line, House of Harlow 1960, after her – while her little brother Sparrow is 13 years old.
In Nicole's Instagram Stories post on Mother's Day, Harlow is pictured with her mom, her aunt Sofia Richie, plus. her grandmother, Brenda Harvey-Richie. The picture was all the more remarkable given how infrequently they've appeared in the public eye — a deliberate move their mom decided early on.
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Nicole had a vastly different childhood herself. She's the daughter of music legend Lionel Richie and his ex-wife, Brenda, who adopted Nicole when she was nine years old because her parents, friends of the Richies, were struggling financially. She became a celebrity in her own right as the star of the seminal reality show The Simple Life alongside fellow Hollywood kid Paris Hilton.
The mom-of-two was 22 when the hit show first aired in 2003, catapulting both her and Paris into stardom. It depicted them as wealthy socialites, trying to assimilate themselves into a "simple life," working low-paying jobs through rural America, and in the first season, they even moved in with an Altus, Arkansas family, the Ledings, for a month.
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Harlow, at least growing up, definitely didn't have an interest in being thrust into the spotlight, and her mom previously opened up to People about her daughter being much more of an introvert.
© InstagramWhen asked if Harlow has ever joined her dad on tour – he is one half of rock band Good Charlotte with his twin brother Benji Madden – Nicole mused: "Sometimes my daughter doesn't even come," explaining: "She's a little more reserved. She'll hang out on the bus and do art. The bus is awesome."
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Despite her more introverted nature, and Nicole's wish to keep both of her children out of the public eye and social media, Harlow is following in her mom's footsteps in the style department at least.
© InstagramNicole also told People: "My daughter loves fashion, but she has her own style," though she actually admitted she doesn't necessarily get it from her, adding: "It doesn't have anything to do with me."
Still, her closet has proved nonetheless to be of interest to her teenage daughter, and she said: "She takes my clothes all the time," joking: "I have just started writing an 'N' with a Sharpie on all of my stuff," so Harlow is clear on who the clothes really belong to.
© InstagramAs for Sparrow, the apple hasn't fallen too far from the tree in the fashion department either, and when he was just three-years-old, Nicole said: "Sparrow's actually dressing himself now but he's very particular," and, not unlike his dad, she added: "He needs the bandana tied around the belt, you know how Joel does it… he has to have all of his sleeves cut off of his shirts. He's got a little curly mohawk now!"
Scroll below for more photos of Nicole and Joel's family.
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