Jessica Simpson and husband Eric Johnson are separating after 10 years of marriage.
“Eric and I have been living separately navigating a painful situation in our marriage,” the “I Wanna Love You Forever” singer said Tuesday in a statement to The Times.
Simpson and the former NFL tight end got engaged in 2010 after six months of dating then wed in Santa Barbara in 2014 after welcoming their first two children together. They have three children: Maxwell “Maxi” Drew, 12; Ace Knute, 11; and Birdie Mae, 5.
“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,” the fashion designer said.
It is unclear whether plans to file for divorce are underway, and a representative for the singer declined to comment further. People first reported the split Monday.
Both Simpson and Johnson were married once before. The “Irresistible” and “I Think I’m in Love With You” singer was previously wed to singer Nick Lachey from 2002 to 2006. Johnson, who played for the San Francisco 49ers and New Orleans Saints, was married to teacher Keri D’Angelo from 2005 to 2010.
The split comes as rumors of a breakup heightened in November after Simpson and Johnson were spotted without their wedding rings. Simpson also teased a “comeback” in November, confirming that she was back in a studio in Nashville.
“This comeback is personal, it’s an apology to myself for putting up with everything I did not deserve,” the “Open Book” author wrote on Instagram at the time.
Last week, Simpson was among the thousands of Angelenos whose homes were evacuated during the historic wildfires scorching Los Angeles County.
“We stayed as long as we could,” she wrote Thursday on Instagram, accompanying the post with a photo of her Hidden Hills home with smoke from the Kenneth fire billowing behind it. Simpson bought the 11,000-square-foot home, which boasts six bedrooms and 10 baths, from Ozzy and Sharon Osbourne for $11.5 million in 2013.
The Kenneth fire, which burned a little more than 1,000 acres in the hills north of Calabasas, was fully contained over the weekend. A 33-year-old man was arrested last week by LAPD officers after he was seen attempting to spark a fire in the same vicinity.
