It’s been reported for a while that the Olsen twins have been fighting off and on. That’s certainly to be expected when you’re twins; it’s to be expected when you’re famous; and it’s to be expected when you work together. Put those three issues together and add in the fact that the girls often live in the same place and you could see how friction might arise.

Ashley and Mary-Kate have pretty different personalities. Ashley is more serious and career driven whereas Mary-Kate is more of a free-spirited partying type. She’s also had some personal issues (eating disorders, addiction – depending on who you believe) that are getting in the way of the twin’s joint work.

Ashley and Mary-Kate Olsen, 22, have spent their whole lives in synch, and together created their clothing lines, The Row and Elizabeth and James, but an insider says their work ethics don’t match anymore — causing a serious rift in their relationship.

“Ashley really wants to be a respected businesswoman and be taken seriously,” says the pal. “MK does too, but she hasn’t been willing to give up her lifestyle and act like an adult for their job.” So Ashley has taken a drastic step: distancing her twin from the couture end of their joint fashion empire. “

Ashley came to a difficult decision. She decided that MK should not be involved with The Row,” says the insider. “She asked her sister to step back from her current responsibilities until she has her personal life together.” Instead, MK will focus on their more affordable line, Elizabeth and James, for which their roles were always less hands-on. “It’s tough because The Row was so much of Mary-Kate’s idea,” says the insider. “Mary-Kate has a unique fashion sense,” notes an insider. “I just see myself more as a businessperson,” Ashley says.

[From In Touch]

I think it’d be a really good idea for Mary-Kate and Ashley to separate their lives a bit. I can’t imagine any two people – twins or not – that could be so intertwined in so many parts of their lives and do it without a good deal of fighting. And it doesn’t sound like the kind of petty sister fighting you grow out of. Business conflicts – especially within families – can go on indefinitely. And they do both have nearly opposite personalities in a lot of ways. They might be happier of they got to emphasize that more and spent a little less time as a unit.

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