Nicole warns Sofia:
‘BIEBER IS BIG TROUBLE’
The Hollywood star panics after her 17-year-old sibling hooks up with Justin
In the list of men who you don’t want your little sister hanging around with (Stephen Bear, Marco Pierre White Jr, Gaz Beadle...), Justin Bieber would be pretty near the top. So we understand why Nicole Richie is furious: her sister Sofia, who’s only 17, has just hooked up with Biebs, and last week went on holiday with him to Japan.
“Nicole can’t believe her baby sister has connected with one of the most troubled pop stars around,” our insider tells heat. “She is especially concerned because of her own nightmare experiences with drink and drugs, and she’s read the reports about Justin’s drinking, weed-smoking and hard partying. She’s pretty determined to get Justin out of her sister’s life. Sofia’s been trying to tell Nicole that it’s just a casual relationship, but to Nicole, that’s even worse.”
Friends of the Richie family tell heat that Nicole, 34 – who went into rehab in 2003 after being arrested for heroin possession – has been calling her sister’s friends and giving them a talking to for introducing her to Justin. “She went on the warpath with Kris and Kendall Jenner, because Sofia met Justin through Kendall and Hailey Baldwin,” says a friend. “She also called Justin – and his manager Scooter Braun – and told them both off, reminding them that her sister is underage. Nic doesn’t care who she upsets, because she wants to protect Sofia.”
The reality star, who’s the adopted daughter of singer Lionel Richie, has had her own well-documented struggle with drugs. After her rehab stay in 2003, she was clean for three years, before getting arrested while high on weed and prescription drug Vicodin, driving the wrong way up an LA highway. Sentenced to four days in jail, the experience helped her grow up. “I got tired of it. A few arrests helped. A few hours in jail will do that to you,” Nic said in 2013.
“Nicole’s scared Sofia’s life will mirror hers,” our source says. “She begged her sister to go to college and get a degree, but Sofia is trying to become a music and reality TV star. She’s convinced that her more-famous friends – Justin and Kendall – can help her.”
Sofia – who’s modelled for Madonna’s Material Girl line, and recently split with 21-year-old boyfriend Jake Andrews – admits her big sister regularly gives her advice, saying, “She’ll say, ‘Don’t let people pressure you to do what they think is cool, like taking drugs. Be true to yourself.’”
Friends add that Nicole will do whatever it takes to look out for her sister. “She feels guilty that Sofia could follow in her footsteps,” says our insider. “She is doing all she can to make sure Sofia doesn’t become an addict like she was.”
‘Nicole feels guilty that Sofia is following in her footsteps’