The Simple Life Gets Complicated for Producer  5/6/06

The producer of Paris Hilton and Nicole Richie's The Simple Life is amazed the fourth season of the hit reality TV show has passed without incident because he feared it would be a constant feud.

Hilton had intended to shoot the show without her former best friend after they publicly fell out but producers insisted the socialite's plan to replace Richie with Kimberly Stewart was a bad idea, and the show went ahead with its original stars.

But producer Jon Murray had to keep Hilton and Richie separated on the set - or risk a nasty situation and a possible walk-out by one of his stars.

He says, "We did the impossible, we finished our 10 episodes even though our two co-stars are generally not speaking to each other.

"I think it's probably easier to try to fix Iraq than it is to fix Paris and Nicole."

The new season of The Simple Life, which debuts in America in June (06), will feature the two party girls trying out roles as ordinary mums.