Jessica Simpson has confirmed that seeing ex-husband Nick Lachey with other women so soon after their separation hurt her but not enough to cut him out of her life forever.

Jessica and Nick separated in November 2005 after three years of marriage and shortly afterwards, Nick was spotted with Laguna Beach star Kristin Cavallari.

Jessica told Elle magazine recently: “Oh, it hurt me. Two or three weeks later? Yeah, I’d say it kind of hurt me.”

“He’s so much a part of my life, how could I not be? Any guy who’s going to be with me from this day forward has to understand that.”

Jessica also added that after starring in the MTV reality series Newlyweds: Nick & Jessica, the media and her fans still expect her to be completely open about all aspects of her private life whereas she’d prefer to keep some things more of a secret: “I let people in on who I am and how I react to my husband. That’s a big deal. Celebrities don’t do that.”

“So I think [the media] brought me down just because I stopped talking and because I have not spoken - and will not speak - about my divorce. And I think people feel like I owe them my reality right now.”

Jessica is currently rumoured to be dating John Mayer while Nick has been seeing Vanessa Minnillo since last summer