Jessica Simpson turned to counselling, spiritual healing and tantric exercises in a desperate bid to save her marriage, but ultimately had to walk away after worried friends expressed fears that the strain could break her sobriety.
The actress, 44, announced Monday that she had separated from Eric Johnson, 45, her husband of 10 years, after “going through a painful situation in our marriage.”
DailyMail.com previously reported that the now-estranged couple had attempted to rekindle their “spark” after becoming “stuck in a lull”, with neither party wanting to file for divorce.
But the Dukes of Hazzard star, who was forced to flee her Hidden Hills mansion this week, grew tired of making the effort as Johnson became increasingly “absent” in recent years.
“Jessica has grown up and Eric hasn’t,” a source exclusively told DailyMail.com. ‘For her, staying for the children was not enough.
“Eric likes to take credit for Jessica getting sober and turning her life around, and while he supported her and her journey, she did it herself. He didn’t take care of her.
Jessica Simpson turned to counselling, spiritual healing and tantric exercises in a desperate attempt to save her marriage, but ultimately had to walk away for fear of her sobriety.
The actress, 44, announced Monday that she had separated from Eric Johnson, 45, her husband of 10 years, after “going through a painful situation in our marriage (pictured in 2016).
‘He has been extremely absent for the last two years. The spark had completely gone out and he did everything he could to avoid a divorce.
‘They gave us advice. It didn’t work. They did spiritual healing, tantric exercises, everything. It didn’t work.’
The final straw came when friends began expressing fears that Simpson, who recently celebrated being alcohol-free for seven years, might relapse.
“She’s been sober for seven years and her fights and stress made her friends fear she would relapse,” the source added. ‘He needed to get away from this.
“She’s fragile, but she’s not broken.”
The singer married former NFL star Johnson in 2014. They share Maxwell, 12, Ace, 11, and Birdie Mae, five.
She has spoken openly about her journey to sobriety that began in 2017 after realizing how much she was missing with her children.
“I was in a place where I was literally spiraling with alcohol and I was missing moments with my kids, and then they saw me and were very confused,” she told the Kelly Clarkson Show in March 2020.
The Dukes of Hazzard star, who was forced to flee her Hidden Hills mansion this week, grew tired of making the effort as Johnson became increasingly “absent” in recent years.
The couple had tried to move on for the sake of their three children – daughter Maxwell, 12, son Ace, 11, and daughter Birdie, five (pictured).
Simpson announced their separation this week in a statement to People, saying: “Eric and I have been living apart through a painful situation in our marriage.
‘Our children come first and we focus on what is best for them. “We are grateful for all the love and support we have received and appreciate the privacy at this time as we work through this as a family.”
The news came just days after he put his Hidden Hills mansion on the market for $17.9 million, knocking nearly $5 million off the asking price since it was first listed for sale in September 2023.
Speculation that their relationship was in trouble had been growing in recent months, and Simpson fueled the conversation when she shared photos without her wedding rings and cryptically told her fans that her musical comeback will address how she has endured “everything she didn’t deserve.” “. ‘
“Interviews in my Nashville music room where I discovered my unique magic,” he wrote on Instagram in November.
“This return is personal, it is an apology to myself for putting up with everything I didn’t deserve.”
A source at the time told DailyMail.com: ‘They are both aware that things need to change for it to work and not fall into a situation where divorce is the only outcome.
“They’re stuck in a lull and they’re both trying to figure out what might trigger things to get him back and if that’s counseling or something else.” They don’t want to make hasty decisions during the holidays.’
The couple has been seen without their wedding rings for the past year, and Simpson was last seen wearing his in 2023; (L) without his ring in December; (R) Johnson in November
Simpson fueled split rumors in November with a cryptic social media post in which she talked about “enduring everything she didn’t deserve.”
It followed reports that the couple were no longer living together at their Hidden Hills, California mansion.
A source at the time told Life & Style: ‘Eric is fed up with her crazy mood swings. And Jessica feels like her marriage has lost its romance.
“Everyone is wondering how much longer they can go on like this…
‘Eric has been doing his thing for longer than anyone seems to know. He’s talked a lot about how difficult it is to live with someone so obsessed with surgery and so detached from reality most of the time.’
They were last photographed in June when they attended their daughter Birdie’s kindergarten graduation.
He has not appeared on her social media since April and she was unable to commemorate his 45th birthday on September 10.
It was a stark contrast to her effusive tribute from the previous year when she shared photos of her family celebration and wrote: ‘My heart is so captivated by this Man, I could hardly call him my own…
‘We love you.’
Simpson was previously married to boy band 98 Degrees singer Nick Lachey from 2002 to 2006 (pictured in 2005).
Johnson has not been photographed wearing his wedding ring on recent outings.
Simpson was previously married to boy band 98 Degrees singer Nick Lachey from 2002 to 2006.
Their relationship was documented on the reality show Just Married: Nick and Jessica, which aired from 2003 to 2005 and gave fans a glimpse into their lives.
She then had a passionate but turbulent romance with John Mayer, who referred to Simpson as “sexual napalm” in a now-infamous 2010 Playboy interview.
He also stated that she was “like crack to me.”