Nicole Richie and Joel Madden Are Engaged

They’ve been together for three happy years and have two wonderful children together. Now, Lionel Richie’s adoptive daughter, Nicole, and her longtime beau Joel Madden have decided to make their relationship official and are preparing for a wedding, as People magazine can confirm.

The cat is not completely out of the bag just yet, as it’s only an inside source whispering for the publication that Nicole Richie herself confirmed her engagement during a taping of the Late Show with David Letterman. However, since this kind of rumor would not live long, chances are it’s an accurate report and the two stars are, indeed, engaged to be married.

“They’ve been together for more than three years and have two children. Now, Nicole Richie and Joel Madden are planning to make it official. Richie said Monday night during a taping of the Late Show with David Letterman that the couple are engaged to be married, a source tells People. After the show, Richie headed to the New York restaurant Abe & Arthurs – without her fiancé – for dinner. ‘She was glowing,’ says a source. ‘She was telling her table how happy she was’,” People magazine writes.

“Richie, 28, and Madden, 30, began dating in December 2006 and have daughter Harlow, 2, and son Sparrow, 5 months. And while they’ve been living as a close-knit family, as recently as October Richie dashed engagement rumors. ‘One day I would love to get married,’ she said. ‘It’s not something we’re talking about right now. If my kids ask me to get married, I’d get married’,” the same publication further writes, citing an older interview from the reality star turned fashion designer.

Though she often rubbished talk of an impending wedding ceremony and even came across as reluctant to the idea of getting married, Nicole Richie has repeatedly gushed about what a wonderful father Joel was to their two children, as well as about how great he was as a partner. More details about the wedding should emerge in the following days, so keep an eye on this space for when they do.