With so many stories swirling around this week about Paris Hilton and Benji Madden calling it quits, who better than the heiress herself to come clean about it all?

During an exclusive call to E! News’ Ryan Seacrest Friday morning, Hilton addressed the issue. But rather than calling it a breakup, she said, “Right now we’re just taking a break.”

Hilton also left open the possibility that she and Madden could get back together down the road.

“He is an incredible person, and we will always be really close,” Hilton said. “We will see what happens in the future. I am still in love with him.”

As for why they decided to go their separate ways for now…

“He has been working nonstop with his brother on his new record. I am working and traveling,” she said. “All these reports that say I dumped him aren’t true. This is a decision we made together as adults.”

Hilton also claims that, despite the rumors, she is not getting back together with her ex-beau Stavros Niarchos, whom she saw last weekend at a party in Miami.

“That’s ridiculous,” she said. “I was on a girls’ weekend with some BFFs from [my MTV] show. Someone must have gotten a quick camera-phone picture of Stavros saying hi. He’s someone I hadn’t seen in a year.”

Of course, Benji is the brother of Joel Madden, who is Paris pal Nicole Richie’s main squeeze. But she insists the split won’t affect their friendship, saying, “Nicole and I don’t get in each other’s relationships. We have a friendship that has been going on since we were 2 years old.”

It’s splitsville for Paris Hilton and Benji Madden.

Days after Paris was “all over” her ex Stavros Niarchos, the heiress dropped the Good Charlotte rocker like a bad habit, telling him he was “too controlling” and that she needed her freedom back, a source tells Star exclusively.

Shortly after their breakup, which took place on Nov. 17, Paris let her hair down at Villa nightclub, where she partied with her sister, Nicky, and Nicky’s boyfriend David Katzenberg. The following night she was also without Benji when she hit the hot spot Apple Paris.

“Paris was fed up with Benji always telling her what to do and bossing her around,” says the insider. “She couldn’t take his overbearing ways anymore. It was stressing her out. He can be very aggressive and he was just too much trouble.”

Benji didn’t take the breakup well, says the source. “He fought for a second chance and asked if they could talk it out but Paris said she was done talking,” reveals the insider.

The demise of Paris and Benji’s relationship, after nine months of dating, didn’t happen overnight. “They’ve had “a lot of fights in the past,” says the source. The nail in the coffin was a showdown over Paris’ flirty night out with her ex-boyfriend Stavros on Saturday.

“Benji didn’t like it that she spent the evening with Stavros,” says the source. “He blew up and Paris felt victimized. He gave her a lot of grief about that.”

They bottom line is that they were just different people. “She felt she couldn’t cut loose and party,” says the source. “He doesn’t drink and doesn’t think she should either. She felt too fenced in.”

Not helping were Star’s reports that Benji cheated on Paris on two separate occasions — once with a woman who looked like his ex-fiancée, Sophie Monk, and another time with a groupie. Benji denied the cheating allegations.

While Paris and Benji are now finito, it probably won’t be the last time they come face to face. After all, his brother Joel lives with Paris’ Simple Life costar and longtime friend Nicole Richie.

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Celeb couples Holly Maddison and Criss Angel, Paris Hilton and Benji Madden at a special screening of the Lionsgate film, ‘Repo! The Genetic Opera’ at the Planet Hollywood Resort and Casino in Las Vegas, Nevada.

Splash

Benji Madden would like to set the record straight about those tabloid reports that he has been unfaithful to new love Paris Hilton. “Paris is the love of my life,” Benji tells Life & Style. “She’s the most beautiful woman in the world. These rumors are not only hurtful but completely false and absurd. She is my life and the woman I want to spend the rest of my life with. Everything they printed is a complete lie. I never give off any impression other than that I am madly in love with Paris. I am disgusted that people would make up such malicious lies. She is my life, my heart and my soul and is the most important thing in my life. No one exists but her. I am the most loyal guy in the world and would never even look at anyone else.”

And Paris? “Benji and I have an amazing relationship and I trust him with my life,” she tells Life & Style. “I don’t ever believe rumors regarding my love. I know he would never hurt me and he knows the same about me.”

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Looks like their in an alley!

WENN

Paris Hilton plans to duet with boyfriend Benji Madden.

The socialite, 27, reveals that the Good Charlotte star has been helping to write songs for her new LP.

And she insists the pair will do a duet around the time her new reality series Paris Hilton’s My New BFF launches in October.

She tells Hollyscoop.com, “He (Benji) actually helped me write some of the songs for my new album, and for the BFF show. He’s a really amazing talent, songwriter and singer.”

When quizzed about a potential duet with Madden, Hilton replied: “Yes, definitely. When the show comes out.”

Hilton’s debut album, Paris, was released in 2006 on her own label, Heiress Records.

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WENN