Page 12 - OK! Magazine - Australia (February 2020)

THIS WEEK
JESSICA SIMPSON
MY SECRET
BATTLE!
The star reveals her addiction issues,
past traumas and what saved her
he’s lived most of her life in
the spotlight, thanks to an
impressive catalogue of music,
S movies, TV shows and side
hustles. But there’s plenty of things
fans don’t yet know about Jessica
Simpson, and that’s why her new
memoir Open Book is so powerful
– with the star lifting the lid for the
first time on her struggles with
addiction and trauma.
In extracts from her book – which
will hit shelves on February 4 – the
39-year-old opens up about turning to
alcohol and prescription medication
to cope with the sexual abuse she
suffered as a child. ‘I was killing myself
with all the drinking and pills,’ Jessica
admits in her memoir.
The abuse started when she was
just six years old, while sharing a bed
with the daughter of a family friend.
12 WWW.OKMAGAZINE.COM.AU
AN
OPEN BOOK
The star says she also
touches on her parents’
divorce, past relationships
and her life with husband Eric
Johnson and their three kids
– Maxwell, seven, Ace,
six, and Birdie, 10
months.
‘It would start with tickling my
back and then go into things that
were extremely uncomfortable,’
she writes.
This led to Jess’ reliance on
booze and pills, with the star
hitting rock bottom in 2017 after
not being able to help her kids
get ready for a Halloween party
due to her being so inebriated.
‘I was terrified of letting them see
me in that shape,’ Jess admits.
But the star has since turned
her life around, giving birth to
her third child, Birdie Mae, last
year. ‘Giving up the alcohol was
easy,’ she recalls. ‘I was mad at
the bottle.’ How brave, Jess!
If you or someone you know needs help,
contact Lifeline for 24/7 support on
13 11 14 or visit lifeline.org.au