Richie: 'Motherhood has changed Nicole'

Legendary singer Lionel Richie is delighted his daughter Nicole became a mother

- because it curbed her wild lifestyle.

The socialite gave birth to baby Harlow in January, her first child with boyfriend Joel Madden.

The 'Simple Life' star has admitted dabbling in drugs when she was a teen, and endured several brushes with the law including a 2007 conviction for driving under the influence (DUI).

But the 'Three Times a Lady' singer insists his 27-year-old daughter has grown up since she started a family - and is now a world away from the party girl wild child of her teenage years.

He said: "I'll be visiting the house and Nicole will be like, 'Dad, lower your voice, Harlow is sleeping'. We must be talking about someone other than my daughter. This is not the same Nicole that brings 15 friends over to my house while (Lionel's daughters) Myles and Sofia are sleeping, and says, 'Dad, what's the problem?'

"This is whole new territory, and I couldn't be happier."