Jessica Simpson rose to fame in the late 1990s as an avowedly virginal Christian singer. She has since gone on to star on television and in films. With several best selling albums to her credit, she is still producing chart-topping hits.

Jessica Simpson was born on July 10th, 1980, in the city of Abilene, Texas. She grew up in Richardson, a suburb of Dallas, and shares her name with the actress who played Lucy in Dallas, the soap opera. Her father Joe, a psychiatrist, was a youth minister in their local Baptist Church, so it wasn't long before Jessica started singing in the choir. There, her remarkable voice won her acclaim. She auditioned for The Mickey Mouse Club, but was unsuccessful, unlike her contemporaries Britney Spears and Christina Aguilera.

Simpson first recorded music with independent Christian label called Proclaim records, but unfortunately the company went bankrupt before her songs could be released. Her father subsequently became her manager and took her on a tour of Christian youth music venues, where she made a name for herself performing alongside the likes of Kirk Franklin and CeCe Winans (known for her hit duet Count on Me with Whitney Houston); all this before she finished high school. She was spotted by Tommy Mottola, who persuaded her to sign with Sony. Her début album, Sweet Kisses, was released in 1999 and reached #25 in the charts, launching the platinum single “I Wanna Love You Forever.” Her second album, Irresistible, released in 2001, was also a success.

Jessica is also known for remaining a virgin until marriage. When touring with the boy band 98 Degrees, Simpson fell in love with singer Nick Lachey. They married in 2002 and agreed to appear in the reality TV show Newlyweds: Nick and Jessica. The show was a huge success and ran for three seasons, cementing Simpson's star power, but also making her famous for being a dumb blonde. Her famous faux pas included asking Lachey whether the Chicken of the Sea tuna she was eating was chicken or fish and asserting that buffalo wings were made from buffalo meat. Although Simpson's mother has defended her daughter's intelligence, the star's naiveté endeared her to viewers, and she and her husband went on to appear on The Nick and Jessica Variety Hour. During this time, Simpson released two more albums: In This Skin and ReJoyce: The Christmas Album. But all was not well in her marriage, and she and Lachey divorced in 2005, citing irreconcilable differences. They sold their mansion to Malcolm in the Middle star Justin Berfield. 

Since her divorce, Simpson has been romantically linked to actor Jared Leto (who previously dated Scarlett Johansson and Cameron Diaz) and John Mayer, among others, but she insists she is single. She has reportedly been upset to discover that Lachey is dating Vanessa Minnillo.