LOS ANGELES - REALITY television star Nicole Richie and pop singer Christina Aguilera have given birth to babies born roughly an hour apart at the same Los Angeles hospital, reports said on Saturday.

Richie, the daughter of soul singer Lionel Richie, and rock star partner Joel Madden welcomed a baby girl at the Cedars Sinai Medical Centre, according to People magazine's online edition.

Shortly afterwards on the same ward Aguilera, who married music producer Jordan Bratman in 2005, gave birth to a baby boy, according to reports.

'The beautiful healthy baby girl left the hospital with her ecstatic parents,' a representative for the couple told People.

Richie, 26, revealed she was pregnant in July as a court case and the prospect of a prison sentence loomed over her for charges of driving under the influence. She was later handed a four-day jail term but served a mere 82 minutes behind bars before being released.

Richie, a close friend of socialite Paris Hilton whose partying and dramatic weight fluctuations have been the subject of intense tabloid speculation, said in an interview last year that pregnancy had forced her to grow up.

'When I found out that I was pregnant, there was just something inside of me that felt a responsibility to mend any issues that I've had with my parents in the past, because, listen, I've put them through a lot,' she said. -- AFP