Jessica Simpson's sad love life and why she split from first husband Nick Lachey

Jessica Simpson has had quite the turbulent love life.

The singer announced that she and her NFL player husband of ten years Eric Johnson made the decision to walk away from one another, describing it as a "painful situation." Jessica, 44, stated that she and Eric, 45 had been living apart from some time and despite their split, they were continuing to focus on co-parenting their children.

They share daughter Maxwell, 12, son Ace, 11 and daughter Birdie, five. But over the years, Jessica has been linked to a string of famous faces. These include her firs husband, Nick Lachey, as well as a relationshop with Johnny Knoxville and even a chart-topping singer. In light of their split, the Mirror has delved into the Simpson archives to look over her love life.

Eric Johnson

Jessica and Eric's relationship had been under strain, even before their break up.

In November, the star took to social media as she shared a string of snaps posing in a white lace dress and a black fur coat. However, her wedding ring was noticeably absent from her hand. She wrote alongside the snap: "Interviews in my Nashville music room where I unearthed my singular magic. This comeback is personal, it’s an apology to myself for putting up with everything I did not deserve."

Her fans then rushed to the comments section as they took note of what it may be her comment implied. One wrote: "Ohhh someone is NOT PLAYING anymore, girls!!! Take notes!!" A second said: "I'm so sorry you went through what you did." Another asked: "Are you talking about your husband?"

On January 14, she announced the end of her marriage. She said: "Our children come first, and we are focusing on what is best for them. We are grateful for all of the love and support that has been coming our way, and appreciate privacy right now as we work through this as a family."

Billy Corgan

Jessica and Billy of Smashing Pumpkins fame first met in 2010 when he penned the song for her TV show, The Price of Beauty.

Shortly after their initial meeting, things soon became romantic with sources hinting that they'd enjoyed a fling together. However, neither Jessica nor Corgan addressed the speculation surrounding their bond with one another.

"The stuff that I've seen doesn't have any bearing to the reality that I'm in. It's like being in a cartoon. It has nothing to do with what's really going on or how I feel," he told Entertainment Tonight when asked about the claims.

Adam Levine

Rumours circulated in 2004 that Jessica and Moves Like Jagger hitmaker Adam of Maroon 5 fame had been romantically involved.

It was claimed that the pair hooked up while Jessica was married to Nick Lachey –but nothing was ever confirmed. But just two years later after her divorce, Jessica was spotted leaving the five star Chateau Marmont in Los Angeles, after allegedly spending time with Adam at his home.

It was said at the time that she was spotted wearing Adam's t-shirt, adding fuel to the fire. Neither confirmed the speculation about their alleged encounters.

Tony Romo

Jessica started dating NFL star Tony Romo in November 2007.

Despite appearing loved up, their romance soon came underfire with Jessica being accused of affecting Tony's performance on the field. They went on to split just one day before her 29th birthday in 2009. Writing in her memoir, she revealed that John Mayer had an unexpected part in their split.

She said that she had been communicating with an ex who had a "hold" on her.

John Mayer

Jessica and John Mayer started dating in 2006 with the pair instantly becoming head over heels with one another.

John famously branded Jessica a "sexual napalm". Speaking in 2010 to Playboy, he stated that Jessica was "like crack cocaine to me." But while they appeared to have it all, in her 2020 memoir, Open Book, she revealed that their relationship was far from the idlyic situation many would have imagined.

She revealed that they split nine times. Writing in her memoir, she said: "We were great at intimacy. We were great at loving each other. That was easy, but the relationship was very complex. John loved me when I was shining and he drew inspiration from that light. When he tapped me dry, he looked at me like I was withholding something from him."

Johnny Knoxville

Although she and Johnny never had a physical or romantic relationship due to both being married when meeting – they did have a connection.

Jessica revealed that she and Johnny had an "emotional affair" after meeting on the 2005 remake of Dukes of Hazzard. Recalling their "affair", Jessica said: "I could share my deepest authentic thoughts with him, and he didn't roll his eyes at me. He actually liked that I was smart and embraced my vulnerabilities. He believed in me and made me feel I could do anything."

Johnny was married to his first wife Melanie Lynn Clapp. Jessica went on to say: "I felt a force drawing us together." But while their relationship was never intimate, she admitted it hurt more than a physical affair. She recalled: "It's funny, I know, because I had placed such an emphasis on sex by not having it before marriage. After I actually had sex, I understood that the emotional part was what mattered. And Johnny and I had that."

Jessica and Johnny went on to exchange love letters, teasing that they were like "prison pen pals" who wanted to be with one another but were "kept apart" by their "respective spouses."

Nick Lachey

The couple became the talk of Hollywood following their 2002 wedding after a whirlwind romance.

Shortly after tying the knot, the couple landed their own reality show – Newlyweds: Nick and Jessica which gave fans a very in-depth look into their relationship between 2003 and 2005. However, their marriage ended in divorce just four years later. Jessica later revealed that their relationship took its toll due to her own insecurities as well as the pressures from the public.

In her memoir, she explained that she was "too young" to have so many people commenting on her. Nick later admitted that the divorce was "incredibly painful" and they grew apart, despite their attempts to make their marriage work. But less than a year later, Nick found love with his now wife, Vanessa Lachey.

Jessica wrote in her memoir: "So, Nick, you're with another already? Seems that you forgot the love you spoke to me. I'm saddened beyond belief. Alone in the dark, with no one to call my own." In her first memoir, Jessica penned: "I had the Instagram-girlfriend syndrome before it was a thing, and I wanted the world to see my husband in the best light because I was hopelessly in love with him."

She filed for divorce in 2005 and claimed that Nick had a harder time during the split, portraying "himself as a victim” in a documentary the following year. The mother-of-three also claimed that she "slept with him" one more time before their divorce was finalised because of what he said in the documentary.

The star wrote: "Back then, it felt like I needed to fix him. He rang the bell, and out of reflex I hugged him. I meant it, too. Despite my anger, I missed him. I didn’t know any other way to make it better, so I slept with him." Nick has claimed that he and his current wife have "not read the book" and that Jessica "did not reach out before it was published."

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