Before Jessica Simpson even met her now ex-husband, Nick Lachey, she was sexually abused at the age of six at a family friend’s home. — A traumatizing experience that caused emotional torment and ultimately led to self-medicating with alcohol and stimulants. She went on to marry Nick in 2003. The former Newlywed stars divorced two years later because they were “young” and couldn’t pretend to be the “perfect golden couple” they portrayed on television, Jessica, 39, writes in her memoir, Open Book. And, when it hits shelves on February 4, Nick will be ready for whatever else his ex uncovers about their past.
“Nick and Jessica’s relationship was something that people saw from beginning to end, so now that Jessica’s book is coming out, Nick is thinking, ‘What else could possibly be spoken about?'” a source tells HollywoodLife, exclusively. “He’s ready for whatever will be said and really doesn’t care. He’s very tuned out from it,” the insider explains, noting that Nick, 46, is focused fatherhood and his marriage to wife, Vanessa Minnillo. They have three kids together, sons Phoenix, 3 and Camden, 7, and daughter Brooklyn, 5. “He’s moved on from all of that now and isn’t going to give it any attention,” the insider says, adding, “It’s in the past for him.”
The source goes on to admit that Nick knew about Jessica’s past with sexual abuse. “He knew everything about her life when they were together, and was there for her always until they got divorced,” the insider reveals. “Any troubles she had while they were together was something he was aware of.”
In her memoir, obtained by People ahead of its release, Jessica goes into great detail about why her marriage with Nick wasn’t the fairytale fans had hope for.
“We were young and pioneering our way through reality television, always miced and always on. We worked and we were great at it but when it came time to being alone, we weren’t great at it anymore,” she writes. “We really got crushed by the media and by ourselves. I couldn’t lie to our fans and I couldn’t give somebody hope that we were this perfect golden couple.”
Jessica goes on to explain that while the 98 Degrees singer was “my first love,” they were young and not experienced enough to make their marriage work.
“I was really young and my success hadn’t really begun. He knew me as this young innocent 18-year-old that had never been introduced to the world in so many ways,” Jessica says. “I went straight from my father to him. Nick’s very smart. He was eight years older than me, but he was also young.”
Nonetheless, Jessica has nothing but respect for her ex. “We meant a lot to each other and we always will. I want to be very respectful because I married him for a reason and we were together for seven years for a reason. He has a family now and I would never say anything to disrespect that.”
Jessica has since moved on with husband, NFL tight end Eric Johnson. Together, they have three children — 10-month-old, Birdie Mae, Ace, 6, and Maxwell, 7.