Not holding back. Jessica Simpson is sharing the details of her secret struggles with substance abuse in a candid new interview with Hoda Kotb.
“I had started a spiral and I couldn’t catch up with myself … and that was with alcohol,” the 39-year-old singer said in a sneak peek for her Wednesday, January 29, appearance on the Today show. “Every day I would say it, ‘I’ll stop soon. I’ll cut back.’”
.@hodakotb’s on assignment in California, where she just sat down with Jessica Simpson.
Simpson gets very candid about her life and secret struggles. Full conversation tomorrow on TODAY. pic.twitter.com/V3uu13bLqq
— TODAY (@TODAYshow) January 28, 2020
Simpson added that she “didn’t know it was a problem until it was.”
“I completely didn’t recognize myself,” she explained. “I always had a glitter cup. It was always filled to the rim with alcohol. I just realized that I had to surrender. It was time. I had to give it up and I was ready. I’m not going to miss another day. I’m not going to miss another Halloween. I’m not going to miss another Christmas. I’m going to be present.”
Simpson revealed she turned to alcohol and stimulants to deal with sexual abuse from her childhood in her new memoir, Open Book. She knew she needed to get help after she “zoned out” on Halloween 2017, admitting she didn’t know who helped her kids get dressed that night.
“I was killing myself with all the drinking and pills,” the fashion designer writes in the book, which hits shelves February 4. “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.”
The “With You” songstress shares three kids — Maxwell, 7, Ace, 6, and Birdie, 10 months — with husband Eric Johnson. The former NFL player, 40, stopped drinking alcohol with his wife.
“Eric gave up drinking the second I did,” she writes. “He said, ‘I’ll do it with you, babe.’ It was like no biggie and he hasn’t gone back or looked back. It’s just the way he is. He’s a very selfless and loving person who is the most incredible father on the planet.”
If you or someone you know is struggling with addiction, please contact the SAMHSA substance abuse helpline at 1-800-662-HELP.
