HOLLYWOOD - The latest on the bird wire is that Jessica Simpson and Nick Lachey may be breaking up. Magazine reports have prompted representatives for the pop star couple to issue statements Wednesday denying they have split, The Associated Press reports. "Nick and Jessica have not separated," said a statement issued on behalf of Simpson and Lachey. "Rumors to the contrary are simply not true."
In an e-mail to AP, Simpson representative Brad Cafarelli reiterated: "They have not separated."
The rumors started with a report in Us Weekly magazine. Without naming sources, the weekly tabloid broke a story Wednesday claiming Simpson and Lachey separated over the weekend.
Alex Dudley, a spokesman for Us Weekly, told AP the magazine was standing by its story. The latest issue, which hits newsstands Friday, proclaims "Split!" on the cover.
For the past year, rumors have plagued the high-profile couple, who will celebrate their third anniversary Oct. 26. Magazines have run pictures of Simpson with and without her wedding ring, and there have been tabloid reports of an alleged fling between the blonde star and her Dukes of Hazzard co-star Johnny Knoxville, which both have flatly denied.
Lachey, 31, and Simpson, 25, had their first two years of marriage documented for the public on MTV's Newlyweds: Nick & Jessica.
As recently as August, Lachey denied any impending split, saying everything was "absolutely wonderful," AP reports.