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Why Nick Lachey Feels He Had a "Leg Up" After Jessica Simpson Breakup

2 hours ago 9

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Nick Lachey, Vanessa Lachey Kick Couple Off The Ultimatum in Shocking Season 4 Moment

Nick Lachey wasn't blind to the ups and downs of marriage when he proposed to Vanessa Lachey.

In fact, the Love Is Blind host revealed one positive of his 2002 marriage to Jessica Simpson was that it taught him what he wants in a partner.

And while that romance ended in them filing for divorce in 2005, Nick still feels it gave him a "leg up" in his relationship with Vanessa, as he explained to contestant Erika Ellis on the season 11 premiere Oct. 14.

As Erika told the Lacheys in the women's lounge, "I’ve been married before, and I’ve had a tough time on dates in the past knowing when the right time to share that is."

"Well, as some of you may know," Nick replied, "I was previously married before I met my incredible wife."

"I would make the very unique argument that it gives you a leg up," he continued. "Because you know from that experience what it is you truly want."

And Vanessa noted it's nothing to have regrets about, adding, "We all have messy pasts, all of us."

Nick—who has said his relationship with Jessica ended in part because they were "playing these parts," with their fame impacting their "reality"—has previously been open about the scars it gave him.

"I, too, was previously married, divorced," the 98 Degrees alum told a contestant on season three of The Ultimatum in 2024, "so I understand the hurt, the scars that exist from that."

"Don’t let your past define your future," Nick advised at the time. "What I truly always wanted in my life, which was to have a beautiful marriage and a beautiful family, if I hadn’t retained my belief in that, I wouldn’t have ever realized the beautiful life I have with this woman."

COURTESY OF NETFLIX

And these days, Nick is in a good place with his ex, revealing earlier this year that he and Vanessa had a run-in with Jessica and her ex Eric Johnson—along with both couple's kids—during a trip to Hawaii.

“It was strangely OK,” he shared on Watch What Happens Live in May. “You know, it's been 20 years since—and so we haven't seen each other in those 20 years and then spent six and a half hours on a flight to Hawaii together. But when I say spent—in the same vicinity.”

“Everyone was very, very cordial, very respectful,” Nick added. “It was honestly fine.”

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For a closer look at the life Nick has built with Vanessa and their kids Camden, 14, Brooklyn, 11, and Phoenix, 9, keep reading.

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Magical Moment

Vanessa and Nick Lachey rang in 2024 at Disneyland with their three kids Camden, Brooklyn and Phoenix.

"Happy New Year at the happiest place on earth!" Vanessa shared on social media. "This is the first New Year we all 5 rang in together. All three kids (and parents) made it to midnight! Haha!"

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Gingerbread Goodies

The family celebrated Phoenix's 7th birthday in 2023 by continuing their gingerbread house tradition. "And just like that, our Littlest Lachey is 7," Vanessa wrote on Instagram. "He’s our miracle baby that we never take for granted. The missing piece to our family puzzle, the one who makes us whole… the cherry on top!"

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Beach Day

"So very thankful," their mom wrote. "our world."

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All Grown Up

The model marked her daughter's 9th birthday in 2024 with this beachy pic. "From 1 to 9 in the blink of an eye," she said. "Happy Birthday to our Baby Girl."

Andrew D. Bernstein/Getty Images for Feld Entertainment