Jessica Simpson 'Spent Half the Day Crying' Over Unrecognizable Throwback Post Response

Jessica Simpson never expected the outpouring of support she received when she posted an unrecognizable image of herself from the day she started her sobriety journey — and she was so moved by the responses, she reportedly cried.

People magazine reports the 41-year-old business mogul only wanted to honor her four-year sobriety journey when she posted the November 1, 2017, image that was taken at her lowest point. But her fans cheered her on.

"It was very real for her," a friend told the outlet of the feedback. "She spent half the day crying. It meant so much to her to hear from people, hear their stories, and know that she helped even one person."

She had written on the Instagram post, “This person in the early morning of Nov 1, 2017 is an unrecognizable version of myself. I had so much self discovery to unlock and explore. I knew in this very moment I would allow myself to take back my light, show victory over my internal battle of self respect, and brave this world with piercing clarity.”

“Personally, to do this I needed to stop drinking alcohol because it kept my mind and heart circling in the same direction and quite honestly I was exhausted. I wanted to feel the pain so I could carry it like a badge of honor. I wanted to live as a leader does and break cycles to advance forward- never looking back with regret and remorse over any choice I have made and would make for the rest of my time here within this beautiful world.”

Jessica also opened up on how she became “free” from alcoholism. She said, “The real work that needed to be done in my life was to actually accept failure, pain, brokenness, and self sabotage. The drinking wasn’t the issue. I was. I didn’t love myself. I didn’t respect my own power. Today I do. I have made nice with the fears and I have accepted the parts of my life that are just sad. I own my personal power with soulful courage. I am wildly honest and comfortably open. I am free.”

Last year, Jessica discussed her struggles with alcoholism in her memoir “Open Book.” She told “Extra’s” Mark Wright, “We all have our flaws. We all have made mistakes. Leading with those mistakes and owning those flaws, is a very humbling experience. It puts you out there where you have nothing to hide… There is so much life to live with clarity that is so much more impactful than to hide behind the darkness.”

In the book, Jessica wrote, “I was killing myself with all the drinking and the pills.”

Recalling the time when she was too “zoned out” to help her kids get ready for Halloween in 2017, she admitted, “I was terrified of letting [my kids] see me in that shape. I am ashamed to say that I don’t know who got them into their costumes that night.”

Simpson revealed that she woke up late on November 1, so she could avoid seeing her kids. She wrote, “I slept in, afraid to see them, afraid I had failed them. I hid until they left, then drank.”