Jessica Simpson Is Sending Ex Eric Johnson ‘Very Mixed Messages’ Amid ‘Complicated’ Split (Exclusive)

Jessica Simpson and Eric Johnson’s separation is “very complicated,” a source tells In Touch after it revealed that the exes are still living together in their Hidden Hills, California home.

“Jessica insists it’s just for the kids,” the source says of the “Irresistible” singer, 45, who shares daughters Maxwell, 13, and Birdie, 6, and son Ace, 12, with the former NFL player, 46. “The change was too hard on them, so she agreed to this compromise while they slowly adjust.”

Which, “wouldn’t be a big deal except Eric would love to give the marriage another shot, so it does seem like she’s playing with his heart by doing this,” the source explains. “She’s sending very mixed messages to him whether she wants to admit it or not.”

It’s been over a year since Simpson confirmed that she and Johnson were splitting after 10 years of marriage, but neither of them have filed for divorce yet.

“She’s still super-codependent on Eric, so she’s getting a lot out of this arrangement and in some ways getting to have her cake and eat it too, which is not really fair to the poor guy,” admits the source, adding that Johnson is “willing to put up with it for another chance with her.”

Simpson, however, has been very vocal about all the “fun” she’s been having as a “newly separated” woman. “I think I’m into younger men at the moment,” the actress told Extra in October. “I feel like younger guys kinda like the confidence of an older woman, I’m discovering.”

Says the source, “She seems to want everyone to know they are not back together.”