For hosts, goodbye, simple life

LITTLE ROCK, Ark. — The farm family that hosted Paris Hilton and Nicole Richie for the first season of “The Simple Life” says life has not always been easy since the show aired.

Albert and Janet Leding of Altus took them in while Fox TV crews filmed the pair cleaning chicken coops and examining cows. The Ledings say they have received fan mail and phone calls since the first season aired. But Janet Leding says one message hurt her feelings. When Hilton was asked if she kept in touch with the Ledings, she replied, “I changed my number.”

Leding wonders why.

“She made us sound like we were trying to stalk her,” Janet Leding said. “We talked to them a couple of times right after they left. Nicole -- I talked to her about three times. We weren’t trying to call them all the time. We don’t care one way or other.”