Jessica Simpson and husband Eric Johnson split after 10 years of marriage: Exclusive

Jessica Simpson and husband Eric Johnson are taking time apart.

The singer and actress, 44, and her former NFL player husband, 45, are separating after 10 years of marriage, Simpson tells PEOPLE exclusively.

“Eric and I have lived separately and navigated a painful situation in our marriage,” Simpson said in a statement to PEOPLE. “Our children come first and we are focused on what is best for them. We are grateful for all the love and support that has come our way and appreciate our privacy right now as we work through this as a family. ”

The news comes less than a week after Simpson – who shares three children with Johnson – posted a sunny selfie Instagramand reminds her followers that “Life is short. SMILE while you still have teeth.”

Johnson was spotted without her wedding ring in November, around the same time Simpson teased her “comeback” to music with a cryptic Instagram posts that included pictures of herself in a recording studio.

“Interviews in my Nashville music room revealing my unique magic,” she captioned the photos. “This comeback is personal. It’s an apology to myself for giving up everything I didn’t deserve.”

A source told PEOPLE days later that the “With You” singer and her husband “live very much separate lives.”

Simpson and Johnson married in July 2014 after four years of dating and share three children: daughters Maxwell “Maxi” Drew, 12, and Birdie Mae, 5, and son Ace Knute, 11.

The couple first met through a mutual friend in 2010 and got engaged that November after six months of dating.

The Open book the author and the retired tight end welcomed their first two children, Maxwell and Ace, in May 2012 and June 2013, respectively.

Their son and daughter acted as ring bearer and flower girl as the couple tied the knot in front of more than 250 guests in Montecito, California.

“A true love will never make you question yourself or what is real,” she told PEOPLE in 2023. “Thanks to my amazing soulmate, I am able to love passionately and without fear of getting hurt .”

That same year, Simpson opened up to PEOPLE about how Johnson “embraces” her career.

“I don’t have a hard time loving anyone, but I always thought I was hard to love, that I was too much for people, or that my schedule was too demanding,” she shared. “He knows my heart and understands my heart more than anyone I have ever met in my life.”

Simpson also said that their relationship has always felt “easy” and that they’ve always tried to “keep the romance there, even with three kids.”

For Johnson’s birthday in September 2023, she shared photos on Instagram from their family birthday and paid tribute to him in a sweet caption.

“My heart is so captivated by this man I could hardly call it my own… We love you,” she wrote.

The couple also spent time without children in early 2023 by taking a couple’s vacation in March. At the time, the star posted pictures from their vacation on Instagram and wrote that she “stole (her) lover” for the weekend.

In 2022, Simpson spoke to PEOPLE about how communication was a focus of her marriage. “I feel like every moment with us grows as long as we communicate and our love only deepens,” she said.

“I feel like Eric and I learn so much from each other,” she added. “I feel like we’re stronger than ever now, (more) than we even were in the beginning.”

She also explained how their life together was not without its challenges in a 2021 interview with PEOPLE.

“I think the takeaway is that it’s not easy and every day presents challenges and blessings,” she said at the time. “Life is a blessing to live, and the more we overthink things, the more we fall behind on our personal journey.”

Simpson was previously married to Nick Lachey from 2002 to 2005.