Spreading her wings! Jessica Simpson has discovered a newfound freedom and another side of herself in her marriage to Eric Johnson.
“In terms of my marriage to Eric, I have never felt more myself or more free,” Simpson, 39, told Us Weekly exclusively on Monday, February 10. “Eric and I have a true mind, body [and] soul connection.”
The mother of three wed Johnson, 40, in 2014 after welcoming two of their children, daughter Maxwell, 7, and son Ace, 6, while they were engaged. Their newest bundle of joy, Birdie, 10 months, was born in 2019. Throughout the couple’s relationship, Simpson has been able to be herself without judgment from her spouse.
“Some of the things he loves most about me are my flaws,” she told Us. “I am most certainly in this marriage and this life with Eric by my side with free will!”
The Texas native found her voice after releasing her telling memoir, Open Book, and six emotional new singles and her telling memoir, Open Book, earlier this month — one of which is called “Free Will.”
The fashion designer revealed that the track “relates to a lot of things” she’s experienced throughout her life, one of which was the decision to enter into another serious relationship with the former NFL player following her divorce from Nick Lachey.
“It is about feeling stuck, feeling trapped in a given reality. For me, I have had a lot of those ‘stuck’ moments … relationships that I kept going back to too many times, patterns that were toxic and self-destructive, a view of myself I just couldn’t shake,” Simpson explained. “It is about rising above that moment and knowing the power lies inside of you to change that circumstance.”
Simpson quoted a line from her song “Sweet Temptation” that says, “If I turn around, I walk alone. If it makes me better maybe that’s the road that leads me home,” to further explain that “sometimes the hard choice makes you feel alone, but it’s actually that same choice that will guide you to the future that you deserve.”
She added: “That’s your free will to make that choice. I hope my story — and my music — inspires people to break out of those patterns and expectations that others have put on them.”
The process of releasing such a telling book, which dives into her past relationships, the dynamic with her father and her alcoholism, has led Simpson to being open with her children in hopes that they can learn from her mistakes.
“I believe in being completely open and honest and I hope they can learn from some of my mistakes – but more importantly, learn that no life is perfect, challenges give us tools and it’s learning from our mistakes that makes us stronger,” the Dukes of Hazzard actress told Us. “There are some topics in the book I don’t think they are mature enough to digest yet, but in due time I will share everything with them.”
