LeAnn Rimes at the 2012 Country Music Awards (Getty Images)
Rimes and Cibrian out with his sons on Aug. 1 (PacificCoastNews.com)
LeAnn Rimes is starting off her 30s by making some major changes in her life.
On Wednesday — one day after reaching her milestone 30th birthday — the country singer entered a rehab facility to seek treatment for emotional issues. "LeAnn has voluntarily entered a 30-day inpatient treatment facility to cope with anxiety and stress," her rep told People. "While there will be speculation regarding her treatment, she is simply there to learn and develop coping mechanisms. While privacy isn't expected, it's certainly appreciated."
The rep told the magazine that Rimes, whose weight loss in recent years has made headlines, is not seeking treatment for an eating disorder or for substance abuse.
[Related: Bikini-clad LeAnn Rimes celebrates 30th birthday with tequila shots!]
Rimes added, "This is just a time for me to emotionally check out for a second and take care of myself and come back in 30 days as the best 30-year-old woman I can be. All the things in my life will be there when I get out, but you know what? I'm hoping they're not going to affect me as much. I'll have the tools to know how to deal with them."
She has the full support of her husband Eddie Cibrian, 39, and his two sons — Mason, 7, and Jake, 5 — who Rimes, their self-proclaimed "bonus mom," helps raise. "My wife is the most remarkable and courageous woman I know," Cibrian told People. "I am so proud of her for having the strength to finally take some time for herself. I will be with her every step of the way."
[Related: 'Bonus mom' LeAnn Rimes has breakfast with her boys]
Fame has been a wild ride for Rimes, who broke into the country-music scene when she was just 13. Her teen years were turbulent: She sued her father, claiming he was responsible for spending more than $7 million of her earnings, and married at age 19. But her last four years in showbiz have been the wildest. While married to Dean Sheremet, she famously had an affair with Cibrian, who was also married, while the two were filming a Lifetime movie in 2008. Despite significant public scrutiny, they stayed together and eventually married in 2011.
Rimes' weight loss, which she has attributed to diet and exercise, has also generated many headlines. On the "Ellen DeGeneres Show" in 2011, she said all the talk about her body in the media made her feel like a victim of bullying. Asked by Ellen if she was "anorexic in any way or bulimic at all," Rimes said, "No, I am not, but I do feel like the press [has] been very irresponsible calling a lot of people fat or anorexic or bulimic or whatever it may be. … I feel a sense of responsibility for the people that are actually going through these diseases — and I'm not one of them."
Rimes shared this photo from a 30th birthday bash (Twitter)Rimes frequently shares many personal details of her life with her Twitter followers, but she gave no indication that she would be seeking treatment. However, when she celebrated her birthday recently, she made it very clear that she was happy to kiss her 20s goodbye. "Die, 20s, die!" was the theme of her birthday party and she told People, "I've been ready to leave my 20s behind. I had so many amazing things happen in my 20s, and I also had a lot of hard lessons to learn. I really have been truly excited about turning 30. I'm ready to be stronger than ever. It's a new chapter." Her cake topper featured a mini version of Rimes, in one of her trademark bikinis, standing on a coffin. She explained, "I'm stompin' on my 20s, stompin' 'em out."
Three days later, Rimes was the guest of honor at another party — a beach bash — to celebrate her big day. She wore a white bikini for the festivities and later tweeted, "HUGE thx to @donjulio for providing the tequila and awesome mixologist for my 30th bday!!!"
Rimes is readying for the release of a new album, Spitfire, and a tour this fall — and that will go on as scheduled. According to People, the treatment facility has "granted her permission to keep her weekend tour obligations." She will still perform her show dates and then "report back after each weekend," according to her rep.
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