Jessica Simpson was 'heartbroken' when she was fat-shamed for wearing mom jeans in viral photos... despite being a size four
Jessica Simpson has revealed she was 'heartbroken' when she was fat-shamed for wearing high-waisted denim 'mom jeans' back in 2010.
Talking about the experience on The Today Show on Tuesday, she explains she was just a size four at the time.
'This picture that circulated and went worldwide broke my heart,' she told Hoda Kotb while promoting her new memoir, Open Book, out today. 'Not the picture necessarily, but the caption. Like, all the captions.'
And the fashion designer added: 'I was taken down by the world.'
Simpson devoted a chapter of her memoir to the experience, titled: Death by Mom Jeans.
'I did [feel bad for Tony],' she admitted. 'I think that comes from other relationships, Tony never made me feel that way. I always felt confident when I was with Tony.'
Jessica split from Dallas Cowboys star Tony in July that year on the eve of her birthday, after he spotted a text on her phone from her ex John Mayer, and wrongly assumed she was cheating on him.
Simpson also spoke about another painful moment - her disastrous attempt to sing 9 To 5 at the Kennedy Center Honors tribute to Dolly Parton in 2006.
Watched by Parton, then-President George W Bush, Reba McEntire and Shania Twain, she had to stop her performance because she forgot the words.
But what people didn't know, was that just before she went onstage she had been dumped by her on/off boyfriend John Mayer.
Devastated, she turned to alcohol.
'I drank before I went onstage,' she admitted. 'That is not John's fault. I'm the one that drank... I just tried to numb myself. And I was too numb that I couldn't connect with anyone. I couldn't connect to the song I already knew.'
Once onstage: 'I just stopped. And I froze. And then I just said I was sorry. And that Dolly deserved better.' She walked off, abandoning her performance.
That night she was photographed with Parton, McEntire, Twain and Alison Krauss — but the picture horrifies her.
'This picture that most people would hang in their house, it's these mentors of mine that are country goddesses,' Jessica said. 'I can't even look at the picture. I can't look at my face because I know the pain that I was having. And I didn't feel worthy of being in that photo.'
Jessica also revealed the moment she decided to give up drink, hitting rock bottom on Halloween 2017, when she couldn't remember who got her kids dressed.
'I definitely would drink, I was like I need to,' she told Hoda, adding that the experience was a wake up call.
'I just will never live that way again,' she said, explaining her husband Eric Johnson fully supported her.
'And Eric gave it up with me immediately, he was like "ok babe, I'll do it with you." You know, there's no bid deal.'
She said she bared her soul in her new book in a bid to help others.
'I wanted to show people the obstacles I had to get through and the tools I have now to face them,' she explained.
