PARIS HILTON & BENJI MADDEN SHOW DIAMOND RING & SPILL SECRETS OF THEIR NEW ROMANCE—EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW & PHOTOS
For socialite Paris Hilton and new beau, Good Charlotte rocker Benji Madden their honeymoon-styled runaway Vegas weekend to celebrate his 28th birthday tomorrow capped a whirlwind romance that began when both were solo here five weeks ago for Valentine’s Day. They first met up when 27-year-old Paris hosted parties at the LAX and Pure nightclubs on Feb. 14 and Benji played DJ at the Moon and Playboy Clubs in the Palms. He had just broken up days earlier after a yearlong engagement with Australian supermodel Sophie Monk.
Paris told me that night, “I’m not dating at the moment—there’s nobody special in my life.”
Bam! It all changed and the sparks were instant, and since meeting here Feb. 15 they have been inseparable! Now for the first time—and exclusively for Luxe Life—they have talked about their love-match. Paris is already proudly wearing a new diamond-studded sparkling “B.M.” ring on the fourth finger of her left-hand, plus a diamond “B” on her necklace.
“It was from somebody very special to me,” she cooed delightedly as she showed it to me.
After they met here, Benji flew the same week to St. Louis with her for a department store launch of her fragrance line of perfumes. Last week she went with him to a club in Orange County when he played a guest DJ set. They turned up together for the Linkin Park concert in the LA Staples Center and then hopped a plane here Friday night. LUXE LIFE was with them every step of the way. Since they began dating they have played a cat-and-mouse hide-and-seek game with paparazzi photographers, and only now does LUXE LIFE have the first posed photos of them together!
Benji was originally booked for his Vegas trip by the new Privé nightclub at Planet Hollywood to spin a guest DJ set on Saturday night. Nightclub contracts in Sin City generally forbid stars from partying at rival nightclubs, and as a result Benji’s gig was cancelled at the last minute because he and Paris showed up at Jet in The Mirage, LAX in the Luxor and Pure in Caesars—all on their first night in town. When Privé’s owners discovered Paris was throwing a birthday bash for Benji at LAX directly after his DJ gig, they cancelled the deal—claiming their contract terms had been broken.
It was the only hiccup in their runaway birthday celebration weekend. First stop for Paris, as it is every time she comes to Las Vegas, was to catch up with her hairdresser confidante and best friend, color king to the stars Michael Boychuck.
LUXE LIFE was at The Mirage as he congratulated her on the new romance—and she whispered all her secrets! Michael has been attending to Paris’ hair since she was 15-years old, and contrary to reports everywhere else, Paris did not go into another hair-salon’s opening night party that Michael graciously attended to welcome them to the Strip. After cocktails at Stack, Paris and Benji had planned to see the The Beatles Love by Cirque du Soleil musical but ran too late with Michael and then me, so they changed their tickets to the next night’s show and decided on dinner at sister Nicky Hilton’s Company American bistro at the Luxor.
For the first time, Paris and the pop-punk rock guitarist talked about their new romance in an exclusive interview with me. Benji even had Paris snap our photo together while we chatted!
“I’ll guard her with my life,” Benji promised me when I walked with the lovebirds at The Mirage on Friday. I’d told Benji I’d known Paris since she was a young teenager and because they were so much in love already I didn’t want her heart-broken! He vowed he wouldn’t and denied their new romance was an instant rebound fling after he’d broken up with Sophie.
Paris wrapped her arms around him and told me, “He is one very special man. We are both incredibly happy—and yes Robin, as you say, it is magical.”
Said tattooed vegan Benji, “We are having the greatest time together. It’s just beautiful.”
A radiant, glowing and very happy Paris admitted the twosome have been inseparable since meeting in Vegas and added, “For the first time, I know what this is all about. He is gentle and kind and quiet, and just being together is good enough for us. We’re having the best time. It’s way too soon to think or talk about where this goes, but it’s truly beautiful. I am on cloud nine and I couldn’t be happier. We both have the same interests so we’re just having a grand time together. He’s totally and absolutely my favorite musician now! It’s real and its wonderful and I haven’t felt that way before.”
Benji bought himself a new $450,000 red Lamborghini for his 28th birthday and he drove Paris up and down the Strip all weekend long. They turned up at LAX and Pure on Friday night and at 3 a.m. in Jet. But the big night of their romantic weekend was Saturday night when Paris treated him to Cirque’s Love show at The Mirage and then to a birthday bash at LAX in the Luxor.
I was hoping big time that Benji’s twin brother, Joel and his new love, Nicole Richie, Paris’ former co-star on The Simple Life reality series, would show up for the ultimate foursome photo, but no such luck! Paris and Benji wound up on the VIP stage at LAX and sipped on Belvedere Vodka and Red Bull. He was surprised with a massive birthday cake as they partied, and Paris grabbed DJ Hollywood’s mic to wish her man “Happy Birthday.” Alongside them watching all the mirth and merriment were NBA All-Star Gary Payton and Fray rock band drummer Ben Wysocki.
“We had a great weekend and we’ll be back real soon,” beamed Paris.