Jessica Simpson and Eric Johnson have split after a decade of marriage.
Jessica told PEOPLE … “Eric and I have been living separately navigating a painful situation in our marriage. 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 couple first got together way back in 2010, and got engaged that same year as well. It took a little while, but JS and EJ finally got hitched in 2014 … and since then, they’ve had three children together … 12-year-old Maxwell, 11-year-old Ace and 5-year-old Birdie.
Jessica was famously married to Nick Lachey in the early 2000s, but split up in 2006. Eric, meanwhile, was married to Keri D’Angelo in the mid-to-late-2000s.
The split comes amid speculation about the couple’s relationship status … given the fact both Jessica and Eric have been seen out and about without their wedding rings.
Not to mention, in November, Jessica teased a “comeback” — which she said was “an apology to myself for putting up with everything I did not deserve.”
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Following the eyebrow-raising social media activity, sources told TMZ … someone in Jessica’s circle reached out to a Los Angeles divorce attorney — and allegedly said the singer was unhappy in her marriage. Though, we were told Jessica hadn’t made contact with the lawyer at the time.
The relationship updates comes almost a year after Jessica noted she’d been spending a lot of time away from L.A. — where her family is based — as she’s been recording new music in Nashville … and splitting her time between here and there of late. She told People that while she was working in Tennessee, Johnson would often be here in Los Angeles with their kiddos.
Another element that may be at play here is Jessica’s personal health — including dramatic weight gain and loss in recent years … not to mention her being 7 years sober now.
