Sunday June 29, 2008

Nicole Richie says she regrets her DUI conviction — and will never forgive herself for driving under the influence of alcohol.

The socialite — who spent just 80 minutes in jail last year after she was caught driving the wrong way down a Los Angeles freeway — can’t escape the thought she could have killed someone.

She explains, “We were watching the news once and they happened to be talking about drunk drivers. They started flashing up pictures of little children that had been killed by people driving under the influence.

“At that moment I literally felt like the worst person in the world for even trying to get out of that situation. That was our first real parent moment.”

The former ‘Simple Life’ star — who has a five-month-old daughter Harlow with fiance Joel Madden — has vowed never to get in trouble with the law again as she wants to set a good example for her child.

She added, “There’s absolutely no way I will do anything like that again. I never took life seriously before. I’m in a completely different place now. I owe my baby my life. I have a responsibility now. I have to really be someone I want my child to look up to. I think it’s important for every child to look up to their parent. I want to show her the right path.”