Mary-Kate Heads Home

Mon., Jul. 26, 2004 8:30 AM PDT by Lia Haberman

It must have been a full house at the Olsen family abode this weekend.

After six weeks in rehab for an eating disorder, Mary-Kate Olsen was discharged late Friday, according to her rep.

"She is feeling very well and is looking forward to rejoining her family and friends and preparing for her freshman year at New York University," Michael Pagnotta said Monday.

He had previously pointed out that his client could have left the multi-treatment center at any time. Olsen was a voluntary guest at Utah's exclusive Cirque Lodge, "so there is no 'release,'" he said.

Indeed, the tween queen has left the Lodge several times to be with sis Ashley and friends. On July 15, she went shopping at a nearby Abercrombie & Fitch store, according to Us Weekly. After the sibs bought matching button-down shirts, the gang went to a local eatery where Mary-Kate ordered a frozen custard. The following night, the Olsens caught a 7:15 p.m. showing of The Notebook, complete with sodas and popcorn.

Various glosses report that Mary-Kate has gained between five and seven pounds since checking in.

While seemingly on the road to recovery, the 18-year-old chose to extend her stay at the $30,000-a-month facility after four weeks on site. All told she's logged about 42 days in rehab, attending up to five meetings a day, which is still short of the 90-day stay typically required of someone suffering from anorexia.

But depending on which gossip glossy you read, the brunette twin may have checked into the treatment center for reasons more illicit, though the Olsen camp has flat-out denied any drug connection, saying "Mary-Kate was not admitted for drugs--period."

Regardless, the recovered Olsen is unlikely to stay home very long. She and Ashley still plan to attend New York University in a few weeks, where they've enrolled in the Gallatin School of Individualized Study, a college that allows students, particularly of the celebrity bent, to design a curriculum to their own needs and interests.

While college diplomas may seem somewhat irrelevant considering their $300 million multimedia empire (built on the back of Full House's munchkin Michelle Tanner), cracks have appeared in the Olsens' designer armor. With a failed movie (New York Minute), a scuttled ad campaign (they don't "got milk?") and a stint in rehab, a semester of Psych 101 might be what the twins need right now.