Singer-actress Jessica Simpson files for divorce

Jessica Simpson and Nick Lachey were married in 2002. Picture / Reuters

LOS ANGELES - After a tumultuous three-year celebrity marriage, actress and singer Jessica Simpson has filed for divorce from her husband, former pop star Nick Lachey, citing irreconcilable differences.

The 25-year-old "Dukes of Hazzard" star, whose split with Lachey, 32, late last month triggered a tabloid frenzy, filed divorce papers in Los Angeles Superior Court under her married name, Jessica Simpson Lachey, and asked that her name be changed back to Simpson.

The couple went from middling pop singers to world famous celebrities thanks to their reality TV show, "Newlyweds," on the MTV cable network. The show centered on their married life together in a posh Los Angeles area mansion.

While the show made them huge stars, the glare of celebrity also put a strain on their marriage. In recent months, their relationship has been splashed across the covers of celebrity magazines that seemed to track their every move.

On the eve of November's Thanksgiving holiday, the couple announced they had separated.

Simpson has hired divorce attorney Robert Kaufman, a Beverly Hills lawyer with a reputation for representing celebrity clients.

Simpson began singing in her church choir at age 12. As a teenager she became a star on the Christian music circuit, and just ahead of her debut album from a major pop music label, 1999's "Sweet Kisses," she toured with boy band 98 Degrees.

Lachey was a member of that quartet, which had already put out successful albums such as "98 Degrees and Rising" and "The Christmas." A later single, "Give Me Just One Night" proved to be a solid hit before the band broke up.

Simpson and Lachey married in 2002, and their first year of wedlock was documented on the MTV show. It became an instant sensation and gave them greater fame than either had achieved alone.

Since then, Simpson's career has soared while Lachey's has simmered. She earned her first major film role playing sexy Daisy Duke in the 2005 action film, "The Dukes of Hazzard." She has appeared in TV commercials and launched a perfume line.

Together, they appeared in 2004 TV specials "Nick & Jessica's Family Christmas" and "The Nick & Jessica Variety Hour."

Simpson has also authored a book, "I Do: Achieving Your Dream Wedding."

- REUTERS