Since leaving husband Nick Lachey in 2005 after just three years of marriage, the Texan singer-sometimes actress-shoe and swimwear designer has struggled with love. At the time she split with Lachey, hot on the heels of her reality TV show Newlyweds and her role in the Dukes of Hazzard flick, Jess was one of Tinseltown's most eligible bachelorettes. There were rumours of romance with Maroon 5 frontman Adam Levine, Jackass stars Bam Margera and Johnny Knoxville, and an ill-fated romance with John Mayer.

Now Jess is trying to heal a broken heart after Dallas Cowboys quarterback boyfriend Tony Romo dumped her the night before her 29th birthday.

The singer was reportedly left ‘blindsided' by the move.

Finding yourself suddenly single on the eve of your birthday? Harsh. Jess abruptly cancelled her Barbie and Ken-themed birthday party and has been seeking solace with family and friends.

"Love my ladies!" she tweeted recently after a night out with girlfriends CaCee Cobb, Adrienne Sands and Nicole Chavez. "Wish I could be with them everyday of my life. Laughter is wonderful."

Reportedly Romo, who's been playing golf with buddies in California and bar hopping in Los Angeles, called it quits on the couple's almost two-year romance after Simpson constantly hounded him to propose.

Bad move, Jess.

"Jessica expected it last Christmas," a source told the UK Star magazine. "Then she thought she would get one for New Year's Eve. And when by Valentine's Day it didn't happen, the tension between them became explosive."

To add insult to relative injury, Jess' ex-husband Nick Lachey quickly squashed any rumours that the pair - both newly single - would reunite when the news broke of Simpson being back on the market.

"I haven't talked to her in probably two years," Lachey told People magazine. "I wish her happiness. That's where it pretty much ends. I certainly have heard about her breakup and I wish her the best, as I've always done. Aside from that, there really is nothing to say."

Word is there's still plenty of bad feeling between Lachy and Jess' overbearing father-manager Joe Simpson (who refers to himself in the third person on Twitter as ‘Papa Joe.')

This week, a story surfaced on Page Six which confirmed what most celeb spotters have known for a while - that Hollywood's entire female population is better off without John Mayer. Does the man's doucheyness know no bounds? I am subscribed to his Twitter feed, purely for research purposes, but I'm a bit ashamed of myself to be supporting his inane musings that way.

But onwards. A couple of years ago John was absent from Jessica's birthday celebration as he was on tour, and all her friends thought he would completely forget the blonde's big day. Turns out he didn't - but not in a good way.

"The night of her birthday she had dinner with Ken Paves and a few friends. Everyone thought John would forget her birthday, but then a gift arrived from him - it was a DVD of him in concert. Jessica spent the rest of the night watching the DVD on a loop, ‘being with him.' It was so sad."

Just when you thought that man couldn't get any more into himself.

So who would be a good boyfriend for Jess? She's apparently desperate to get married, so it'd have to be someone that would pony up on the commitment front. She seems to go for big, burly, and rather wholesome, so perhaps the born and bred Texan girl could find herself a rancher or rodeo rider? And I know Seth Rogen's not single, but perhaps a comedian would be a good match for Jess? Girl looks like she could use a laugh.

The sad case of Mischa Barton

Stories have been emerging all week on former OC actress Mischa Barton after the 23-year-old was sectioned on a 5150, an involuntary psychiatric hold, in a Los Angeles hospital last week.

At the time of writing Mischa remains in the Cedars-Sinai Medical Centre under observation, and shooting on her new TV show has been delayed due to her absence. The Beautiful Life, produced by Ashton Kutcher, reportedly focuses on the ups and downs of a group of models living in New York.

The actress' hard partying lifestyle - with reported heavy use of both drugs and alcohol - was common knowledge among her social circle and beyond. Breaking point, apparently, was a long time coming.

"In the last few years, her dark side has really come out," a pal of the London-born actress told People. "Her friends, like Nicole (Richie) want to be supportive but they can't really be around her too much. She's too volatile."

Once close, Barton's friendship with Nicole Richie cooled considerably after a summer 2007 barbecue held by a mutual friend of the pair when Barton was hospitalised after falling ill in vague circumstances.

Note to aspiring gossip hounds: Be dubious of any celebrity medical emergencies which involve dental surgery, asthma, dehydration and/or food poisoning. Their asses are lying.

After Richie became a mother to daughter Harlow in January 2008 she started seeing less and less of Barton.

"Nicole is focused on motherhood and her family," a pal added to People> "(She) considers (Mischa) a dear friend but she's also a mother who can't be around too much negative, unsafe behaviour. Mischa is one of the reasons that Nicole is mostly with her other mum friends these days, not the party girls."

If Britney can turn her life around after a 5150, here's hoping Mischa can. Get well soon Ms Barton!

Lindsaywatch: What's she up to?

And to another former friend of Nicole Richie, the notorious Lindsay Lohan. The latest on LL (and, let's face it, girl has a knack of staying in the press), is that the producers of both the UK and US versions of I'm A Celebrity, Get Me Out of Here are chasing the 23-year-old actress to appear on the next series of the reality show.

A source told Britain's Mirror: "Lindsay's the perfect person for a reality show like I'm A Celeb. She's young, fallen and there's an element of tragedy in her life.

"Most people who go on the show are in need of a healthy pay cheque and also want to raise their careers from the dead. Lindsay is perfect fodder for the show."

And Lindsay's possible pay day for just over two weeks in the jungle? A potential quarter of a million pounds!

I'd like to see Dina, Lindsay and Ali take to the jungle as part of that trash-tastic TV show. I mean, if it can withstand Heidi and Spencer, surely it can withstand a three-pronged Lohan attack? But the viewing public might not I guess. A trio of Lohans? Our heads might explode!

Clash of the 'Iron Man' beauties

Is it fashionable handbags at dawn on the set of Iron Man 2? I know the press loves stirring up controversy between female co-stars, and they're doing just that with regards to the Jon Favreau-helmed flick.

A huge promo for the movie, due to be released May 2010, ran on the cover of industry mag Entertainment Weekly last week in the US and featured a cover shot of Robert Downey Jr., Mickey Rourke (who plays new villain Whiplash) and Scarlett Johansson, who plays Tony Stark's new PA Natasha, aka Black Widow).

But there's no sign of Gwyneth, who plays Pepper Potts, new CEO of Stark Industries, and the willowy Oscar winner is reportedly rather miffed that Scarlett's stealing her spotlight. The Daily Mail had Paltrow going so far as to refuse to attend the huge Comic-Con event in San Diego this weekend to show her disapproval.

For the record, Gwyneth's rep says "She was not at all upset."

Also joining the cast is Don Cheadle, replacing Terrence Howard. Cheadle, whose work I love, admits that he "always thought Iron Man was a robot" before getting the part.

Cameron Diaz: Girl about London town

London's gossip circles are all aflutter with the whisperings that Cameron Diaz is getting cosy with not one, but two, Hollywood hunks in the city recently.

The 36-year-old blonde has been snapped on a night out in the city with old pal Leonardo DiCaprio, himself newly single after splitting from Israeli swimsuit model Bar Rafaeli. The pair shared dinner before heading clubbing at London spot Maddox, reportedly looking very relaxed in each other's company.

Cameron and Leo are old chums, having worked together on Martin Scorcese's awesome 2002 movie Gangs of New York. They're around the same age (Leo's 34), they're both committed conservationists, and hey, since they worked together they've got that awkward first kiss out of the way, no?

The next night Cameron was snapped out at nightclub Boujis, a favourite of Princes William and Harry, where she met up with Jude Law, her co-star from The Holiday. The actress shared a couple of drinks with the father of three, who's winning great acclaim for his performance as Hamlet on the stage in London, and the pair then parted ways.

Who'd be better suited for Cam, Leo or Jude? I'm saying Leo. He is a modeliser, but Cam's still got the fab figure of a model. Plus they share a lot of interests, they're friends already, and they'd look so damn cute together.

Spotted

A very slim, bikini-clad Trinny Woodall smoking on the beach in the Bahamas...Mickey Rourke making his way through a crowd of paparazzi leaving a London restaurant...Jennifer Lopez filming her new movie The Back Up Plan on location in NYC, complete with prosthetic baby bump...Naomi Watts and Liev (my spell check insists on calling him ‘Live') Schreiber appearing at the Giffoni film festival in Italy...Kate Hudson out for an afternoon stroll in New York's West Village...Victoria Beckham, Tom Cruise and kids watching David Beckham play for the Galaxy against AC Milan in Los Angeles...Pregnant model Camila Alves and baby son Levi shopping for barbecue supplies in Malibu...

SUBSCRIBE TO MY TWITTER FEED