Jessica Simpson turned to diet pills at the age of 17 after she was ordered to lose weight by record executive Tommy Mottola.
The With You hitmaker dropped to 103 pounds (46.7 kilograms) after she was told to shed 15 pounds (6.8 kilograms) in order to get signed to a record label, the star has claimed in excerpts of her new memoir, Open Book, obtained by People.
On her 17th birthday, Jessica had the chance to sing for Tommy, who at the time was the CEO and chairman of Sony Music Entertainment, parent of the Columbia label, and belted out Amazing Grace in a bid to get snapped up and signed to their roster.
The star recalled that "he wanted to sign me", but he said: "You gotta lose fifteen pounds."
After questioning his remark, he allegedly told her: "That's what it takes to be Jessica Simpson."
Jessica said that at the time she was five-foot-three and weighed 118 pounds (53.5 kilograms) and, after the meeting, she "immediately went on a strict diet, and started taking diet pills, which I would do for the next twenty years."
The star said that she also took sleeping pills at this time, noting, "I started hearing voices when I was alone at night, waiting for the sleeping pill to kick in 'Do more sit-ups, fat a*s.'"
Jessica noted she "couldn't enjoy" her success "because I was so freaking hungry," and claimed that, after she lost weight, the label allegedly told her to "show more skin," which sent her on more of a downward spiral.
In previous snippets of the publication, the hitmaker opened up about her battles with alcohol and drugs, which she claimed were sparked by an incident of sexual assault when she was just six years old.
The 39-year-old is planning to drop six new songs to mark the release of Open Book on 4 February. The tracks will be included on the memoir's audiobook, which Simpson has narrated herself.
