OREM — Is she or isn't she?
That's the big question looming in the minds of Hollywood paparazzi, who are eager to confirm whether Mary-Kate Olsen is receiving treatment for an eating disorder at the exclusive Cirque Lodge treatment center at Sundance.
According to a supposed Cirque Lodge employee, who anonymously contacted radio station 97.1 ZHT-FM Wednesday morning, the younger Olsen twin is holed up at the mountainside facility, though it's a closely guarded secret.
When asked by the Deseret Morning News, a spokeswoman for Cirque Lodge said that "no one by that exact name is registered" at the facility.
Considering the twins' high profile — they're worth an estimated $300 million — it isn't unusual that Mary-Kate wouldn't use her real name during her stay.
But the center's director, Gary Fisher, says that he is not permitted to confirm or deny the names of patients out of respect for their privacy.
All employees are banned from giving out information about patients, he said.
"I would highly doubt that was one of our employees that called in," Fisher said. "If it was, he was certainly acting outside of any integrity."
The latest issue of US Weekly also speculates that Mary-Kate is receiving substance-abuse treatment at Cirque Lodge.
According to widespread media reports. Mary-Kate suffers from anorexia — though her sidekick sister, Ashley, will only admit that her twin is dealing with a "health-related issue."
As a result, the lighter-haired Olsen has nixed a promotional trip to Australia — where the twins were scheduled to attend the Sydney premiere of their big-screen debut "New York Minute" — to be by her sister's side.
A representative for the twins didn't tell the magazine where either Olsen is staying but did confirm that Mary-Kate is getting help for an "eating-related disorder."
"It is a multi-treatment facility, which is perfectly capable of accommodating her needs," Michael Pagnotta, an Olsen representative, was quoted as saying in US Weekly. "Mary-Kate has a team of people working with her, including a renowned psychologist in (his) field and a nutritionist, among others."
During Wednesday's radio program, however, the unnamed worker said the 18-year-old starlet is receiving treatment for an undisclosed drug problem.
Country singer Jo Dee Messina credited Cirque Lodge in the May 3 issue of People magazine for helping her kick an alcohol addiction — but the center refuses to confirm her stay there.
Of course keeping mum about patient identities has helped attract celebrity clientele bent on privacy to Cirque Lodge. And with prices starting at $29,850 for a month's stay, it's no surprise that only the rich and famous can afford the center's star treatment.
According to the same US Weekly article, David Hasselhoff, who was arrested June 5 in Los Angeles for investigation of driving under the influence, also is a patient at the hospital.
But the former "Baywatch" star isn't garnering as much attention as Mary-Kate, who, along with her sister, vaulted to stardom in 1987 while sharing a role on the ABC sitcom "Full House."
Since then, the "Olsen twins" have become a household name with a series of made-for-video movies and merchandise emblazoned with images of the two sisters.
Eleven-year-old Leslie Draughon used to have a Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen sleeping bag on her bed and pictures of the stars plastered across her bedroom walls, though she says she's "too old" for that any more.
Despite her earlier fixation with the twins, however, she doesn't think that public scrutiny on the pair caused Mary-Kate to develop an eating disorder.
"It's not like anyone cares about what size she wears," Draughon said. "Nobody is even paying any attention."
E-mail: lwarner@desnews.com