The world watched Jessica Simpson and Nick Lachey’s marriage fall apart on TV, the singer just gave us all an even deeper look in her new tell-all, “Open Book.”
Her memoir, out now, is filled with tid-bits from every part of her life, including her dramatic relationship with the boy band singer she was married to from 2002–2006.
In the book, she feels like they clicked immediately, with Lachey respecting her decision to remain a virgin until marriage.
“He stayed patient, and how the relationship progressed physically was always up to me,” she wrote. “He was the first guy who ever touched my breasts, and it was such a big deal to me that I made my mom take me bra shopping for the occasion. I spent an hour in a Victoria’s Secret before I settled on a purple one.”
The two had rocky times, but reconnected after the 9/11 terrorist attacks. As their relationship progressed, Lachey popped the question and she said yes. Before for ceremony, Nick suggested they get a prenup — but Simpson said she “exploded” on him about the idea, so they didn’t get one. That becomes an issue.
It was never easy for them, as Simpson said they quickly found themselves in a “reliable cycle” of him criticizing her “for something small” and her exploding to “make it about something later in our relationship or the pressure I was under in my career.”
When Simpson said she wanted a divorce, “he immediately tried to talk me out of leaving him,” said Jessica — who moved out when he was out of town, not telling him. “I wish we were the kind of people who could divorce and stay friends,” she wrote, “We weren’t, and I regret that my actions hurt him.”
Following their break-up, Nick focused on his “What’s Left of Me” album, which included a publicity push including their divorce. “I watched him portray himself as a victim, casting me as this selfish person,” said Simpson. “He then mentioned that the door was still open for us to get back together. It was so disrespectful and dragged me back into his orbit when I was just starting to leave it.”
She eventually called him asking to meet, which they did at her home. He played her his album in full. “I didn’t know any other way to make it better, so I slept with him,” she claimed. “I know. I wish you were there to stop me, too. It was emotional, yet there was no connection. The whole situation was very dark. I didn’t want the energy in my home. When he walked out the door, I knew I would never see him again.”
