Eric Johnson "will always be" part of Jessica Simpson's life.

The 44-year-old pop star recently announced her separation from Eric, 45, but Jessica has insisted that her estranged husband is "still very much a part of [her] life".

Reflecting on their separation, Jessica told PEOPLE: "I've grown up so much. I can handle so much.

"Maybe I'm just meant to love a lot of people in my life."

Jessica has Maxwell, 12, Ace, 11 and Birdie, five, with Eric, and in spite of their separation, the blonde beauty still considers herself to be "one of the lucky ones".

Jessica - who married the former NFL star back in 2014 - said: "I don't know why my heart gets tossed around but I'm one of the lucky ones. At least I have my children and I still have Eric. He's still very much a part of my life and will always be."

Jessica announced her split from Eric in January, explaining that they had been "navigating a painful situation".

The 'I Wanna Love You Forever' hitmaker told PEOPLE at the time: "Eric and I have been living separately navigating a painful situation in our marriage.

"Our children come first, and we are focusing on what is best for them. We are grateful for all of the love and support that has been coming our way, and appreciate privacy right now as we work through this as a family."

By contrast, Jessica claimed in 2023 that the couple did lots of "little things" to keep their romance alive.

The pop star told 'Access': "It's good to keep the romance there, even with three kids on top of our head. It's hard, but he'll leave me little notes, because he'll wake up earlier than me. He'll leave me little letters.

"There's a lot of things that make me like, 'I can't wait to get my hands on him later.' I think you have to have those little things as a couple that are just between you two."