Jessica Simpson has revealed she is ready to start dating again following her split from husband Eric Johnson.
The singer, 45, announced in January she had broken up with the football manager, also 45, after 10 years of marriage.
But now, six months later, the star feels ready to get back out there again as she spoke about what she’s looking for in a partner on the Today Show.
Co-host Jenna Bush-Hager asked: ‘Are you interested in dating? Can I set you up with anybody?’
‘I’d totally jump on that,’ Jessica said. ‘Yes I’m single – very into like, very… I’m ready!’
The singer, 45, announced in January she had broken up with the football manager, also 45, after 10 years of marriage
‘What are you into so I can set my criteria?’ Jenna asked.
‘My type of person is one of a kind. I don’t have a look, or anything,’ Jessica said.
‘I just like for somebody to be individually, who they are. And exude confidence without the ego.
‘It’s hard to find but I feel like it’s out there. I don’t need somebody to be supportive of me all the time.
‘I feel like the independence that I have right now, if I can have that and give it to someone else, that’d be cool.’
Announcing her breakup with Eric, Jessica said in a statement: ‘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 pair share three children: daughter Maxwell, 12, son Ace, 11, and daughter Birdie, five.
The pair share three children: daughter Maxwell, 12, son Ace, 11, and daughter Birdie, five
The Take My Breath Away hitmaker — who’s had a number of high-profile romances — and the retired tight end said ‘I do’ back in 2014, after four years of dating.
The star was last pictured wearing her wedding ring in 2023. Recently, Simpson was spotted sans wedding ring once again in December, adding fuel to the rumors that her decade-long marriage to Johnson was on the rocks.
The couple hasn’t been spotted together since Birdie’s kindergarten graduation back in June 7, and Jessica’s Instagram has been conspicuously Eric-free since their Easter celebration on April 9.
Less than a week prior to the split announcement, Simpson shared a radiant selfie to her Instagram, with the caption: ‘Life is short. SMILE while you still have teeth.’
Jessica raised eyebrows by failing to give Eric a birthday shout-out on his 45th birthday on September 10, further igniting rumors of a marital rift.
Adding fuel to the fire, the former NFL star has also been spotted without his wedding ring in recent outings.
Jessica fueled the chatter with a cryptic social media post on November 11 that appeared to throw shade at someone close to her.
‘Interviews in my Nashville music room where I unearthed my singular magic,’ began the singer in her caption.
‘This comeback is personal, it’s an apology to myself for putting up with everything I did not deserve.’
Reports of tension in the couple’s marriage have been circulating, with Life & Style claiming that Eric has grown weary of Jessica’s ‘crazy mood swings’; they are seen in 2016
Her quote raised eyebrows as followers tried to guess who made her put up with ‘everything I did not deserve.’
In 2023 Jessica gushed about her husband in an interview with People.
‘A true love will never make you question yourself or what’s real. Thanks to my amazing soulmate I am able to love passionately and without fear of being hurt.’
She also reflected on feeling that she was ‘hard to love.’
‘I don’t find it hard to love anybody, but I have always thought that I was hard to love, that I was too much for people, or my schedule was too demanding,’ she told People. ‘He knows my heart and understands my heart more than anyone I’ve ever met in my life.’
For his birthday in September 2023, she shared photos from their family celebration and penned him a sweet caption.
‘My heart is so taken with this Man, I could hardly call it my own…. We love youuuu,’ she wrote.
They welcomed their first two kids, Maxwell and Ace, in May 2012 and June 2013.
Jessica was previously married to 98 Degrees boyband singer Nick Lachey from 2002 to 2006; they are pictured in 2005
Their son and daughter served as ring bearer and flower girl at their wedding in 2014, which was attended by over 250 guests in Montecito, California.
Jessica later welcomed their daughter Birdie in 2019.
Simpson was previously married to 98 Degrees boyband singer Nick Lachey from 2002 to 2006.
Their relationship was documented in the reality show Newlyweds: Nick and Jessica, which ran from 2003 to 2005, giving fans a peek into their lives.
Jessica was also famously swept off her feet by singer John Mayer in 2006, sparking a passionate but turbulent romance.
The pair’s connection was intense, and Mayer famously referred to Simpson as ‘sexual napalm’ in a now-infamous 2010 Playboy interview, where he also described her as ‘like crack cocaine to me.’
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