Nicole Richie has denied rumours that she recently checked herself into a hospital to have a gastric band removed.

PageSix, recently ran a blind item in which it stated that a Hollywood starlet had undergone a gastric bypass operation, then after losing too much weight, had the offending gastric band removed.

Richie has since felt the need to tell the world that this silly girl (whoever she is) is not herself.

Her publicist told People magazine: "It is not Nicole,"

"There are a ton of 'Hollywood starlets.'"

If it�s not her, who could it be?