Paris & Nick Split--A Nation Mourns

Fri., Jul. 23, 2004 6:00 PM PDT by Kimberly Potts

Perhaps not since Bennifer went bust has the collapse of a celebrity romance been so difficult on our nation's collective psyche.

But 'tis true that Nick won't always have Paris, as reality star/aspiring pop singer/porn bestseller Paris Hilton, 23, has kicked her Backstreet Boy, Nick Carter, 24, to the curb.

Or maybe he did the booting. It's all very confusing. And these celeb breakups are so hard on all of us.

In any case, reps for both confirmed the split to E! on Friday.

It was Carter who spilled the beans first, telling People.com earlier in the day that he and his Simple Life sweetie will now be living separate lives.

"This is the time of my life," Carter said. "I'm back in the studio, ready to go on tour with the [Backstreet Boys]. I want to be free to date other people, and I got tired of all the rumors."

The rumors to which the BSB-er refers are the oft-reported tabloid tales that, despite constant PDA sessions, all was not lovey-dovey between the pair.

Earlier this month, after the couple had attended various Hamptons soirees--including one to celebrate the launch of Hilton's Heiress Records label--everyone from the New York tabs to Us Weekly and Star magazine breathlessly reported that Paris and Nick had a very public spat that involved shouting and shoving.

The celebutante and boy bander, who met last December at the Billboard Music Awards, dated for seven months, which included joint appearances on award show red carpets, as many tabloid inches as J.Lo or Britney, and, of course, the release of Hilton's infamous One Night in Paris video, the saucy sex romp her ex-boyfriend, Rick Salomon, released to the public earlier this year.

As for further details on the reasons for the split, Hilton's spokeswoman, Gina Hoffman, tells E!, "Paris is busy working on her album and is starting a movie in August. She's also working on her jewelry line and her book. She is just concentrating on her career right now."

Hilton will make her debut as a leading lady, on the big screen, that is, in Pledge This!, a National Lampoon spoof of sorority flicks that begins production in Miami next month. She also has a role in October's remake of House of Wax, a horror movie costarring Chad Michael Murray and Superman wannabe Jared Padalecki (Gilmore Girls).

And Carter, whose attempt at a Justin Timberlake-ish solo career flopped with the release of his 2002 CD Now or Never, will join his fellow BSB bandmates at the end of the year to release their first disc of new material since 2000's Black & Blue. Backstreet's back, alright!

Meanwhile, both stars insist, in statements that will surely provide comfort to all of us at this difficult time, that they remain good friends.

And somehow, we will find the strength to soldier on.