Jessica Simpson is getting deep into her past with her new memoir, Open Book, revealing she was sexually abused as a young girl and that she had been battling an addiction to “drinking and pills” up until a few years ago.
In an excerpt from the book published in People, the momma of three explained the abuse started when she was just 6 years old and among other things, led to her dependency to self-medicate with alcohol and stimulants.
Related: Jessica’s 100 Pound Weight Loss Involved ‘Nightly Email’ To Her Trainer!
Having been approached to write a motivational book about “living your best life,” Jess knew she had a different story to tell, saying:
“I didn’t feel comfortable talking about myself in a way that wasn’t honest. I’m a horrible liar.”
Simpson revealed it was a doctor who told her her life was in danger with the self-medicating:
“I was killing myself with all the drinking and pills.”
But it wasn’t until she hit rock bottom at a Halloween Party she and husband Eric Johnson hosted at their home in 2017 that she opened up to her best friends about needing to get over her addiction. She recalled saying:
“I need to stop. Something’s got to stop. And if it’s the alcohol that’s doing this, and making things worse, then I quit.”
Thanks to the support of her parents, Tina and Joe, along with her team of doctors and bi-weekly therapy, she’s been sober since November 2017.
“Giving up the alcohol was easy. I was mad at that bottle. At how it allowed me to stay complacent and numb.”
Jessica continued:
“When I finally said I needed help, it was like I was that little girl that found her calling again in life. I found direction and that was to walk straight ahead with no fear. Honesty is hard but it’s the most rewarding thing we have. And getting to the other side of fear is beautiful.”
It had been speculated for years in the tabloids that alcohol was an alleged issue for the songstress. A visit to HSN in 2015 sparked concern in the media after she went on air and was noticeably slurring her words. A Home Shopping Network source later denied she was intoxicated, saying it was merely her “loose” image.
In 2016, it seemed her behavior only became more erratic as an interview with Extra at a Teen Vogue event could only be described as bizarre. With these new revelations from Simpson, it’s clear she was battling something much deeper. While the 39-year-old explained in her memoir how giving up the “drinking and pills” wasn’t difficult, therapy, was completely different:
“With work, I allowed myself to feel the traumas I’d been through.”
Stemming back from the abuse she suffered as a little girl, the fashion mogul revealed:
“[It happened] when I shared a bed with the daughter of a family friend. It would start with tickling my back and then go into things that were extremely uncomfortable.”
For six years she kept it from her parents:
“I wanted to tell my parents. I was the victim but somehow I felt in the wrong.”
When Jessica did open up to them during a road trip when she was 12, she recalled her mom slapping her dad’s arm, saying:
“I told you something was happening.”
But “Dad kept his eye on the road and said nothing.”
“We never stayed at my parents’ friends house again but we also didn’t talk about what I had said.”
Simpson will be releasing six songs in conjunction with the upcoming memoir, which she hopes will inspire others:
“It’s been a long hard deep emotional journey, one that I’ve come through the other side with pure happiness and fulfillment and acceptance of myself. I’ve used my pain and turned it into something that can be beautiful and hopefully inspiring to people.”
Even taking to Instagram on Tuesday, she posted about the new music and the process of recording her audiobook. In the caption, she penned:
“Recording the audiobook of Open Book was one of the most purposeful experiences of my career. It broke me down both physically and emotionally, but I hope everyone who listens will feel my soul and hear my truth through my voice. The new songs I am releasing with the audiobook are what inspired me to write the memoir and they are the musical counterpart to the story. I am so proud of this creation. I hope you love it. 💚 #OpenBook”
See the post (below):
Will U be checking out her book, Perezcious readers?? It hits shelves on February 4, so it won’t be long!
[Image via Jessica Simpson/Instagram]
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