Jessica Simpson is reflecting on the last time she started over.
Nearly 20 years after the “Irresistible” singer, now 44, filed for divorce from Nick Lachey, she shared insight into turning over a new leaf in its aftermath at just 25 years old. And for her, there are parallels to her ongoing separation from Eric Johnson.
“Oh my gosh, 25 years old,” Jessica mulled to her younger sister Ashlee Simpson Ross in a joint feature for The Cut published Feb. 20. “I was in a newfound freedom because I was going through a divorce. I was becoming myself all over again.”
Through the headline-making separation with the former 98 Degrees frontman—with whom Jessica starred in the monumental Newlyweds: Nick & Jessica reality show—the fashion designer emphasized that her nuclear family, including the “Pieces of Me” singer, remained her rock.
“We stayed close as a family, no matter our parents going through a divorce, no matter all of our divorces,” Jessica shared. “I probably faked it until I made it way more than most.”