Pop star has split with NFL man after 10 years

Pop star and actress Jessica Simpson and her husband, former NFL tight end Eric Johnson, have separated after 10 years.

Simpson first shared the news with PEOPLE Magazine.

“Eric and I have been living separately and navigating a painful situation in our marriage,” she told the site. “Our children come first and we focus 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 after months of speculation that the pair were on the road.

PEOPLE noticed Johnson was spotted without her wedding ring in November around the same time Simpson teased a return to music.

The site said Simpson, 44, and Johnson, 45, were married in 2014 and have three children — two daughters, Maxwell Drew, 12, Birdie Mae, 5, and a son, Ace Knute, 11. They began dating in 2010 .

Johnson played collegiately at Yale and was taken in the seventh round, 224th overall, of the 2001 NFL Draft by the San Francisco 49ers. He played for the team through 2006 and then spent one season with the New Orleans Saints.

He recorded 240 receptions for 2,178 yards and nine touchdowns for his career.