Jessica Simpson and Nick Lachey: End of frenzy

Los Angeles, Dec. 17 (Reuters): After a tumultuous three-year celebrity marriage, actress and singer Jessica Simpson filed for divorce today 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 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.