No doubt about it. It’s been a tough week for country singer Jessica Simpson after pictures of her new “curves” while wearing high-waisted jeans sparked some cruel headlines.

But friends and relatives have rallied round, including a vote of support from Simpson’s ex-husband Nick Lachey, who was married to the singer from 2002-2005.

“I wish her nothing but the best and I hope she’s happy — whatever size that comes in, “Lachey told celebrity web site Extra on Friday. “I can’t believe it’s this big of a story and people are making such a big deal about it. I never ceased to be amazed by people’s reactions to things.”

Simpson, 28,  wearing tight black leather pants for a concert in Charlottesvlle, Virgina, thanked her fans on Thursday for their support without directly using words like buxom, fat, or jumbo that have been thrown around in her direction this week.

“Please remember, no matter what you go through in life, somebody else might have it harder,”  she told the crowd, according to People.com. ” I feel like in our world today, we focus on so many things that are completly pointless.”

Simpson’s brother-in-law, Fall Out Boy  front-man Pete Wentz , also came to her defense.  Wentz   told Extra that the media “puts too harsh of a spotlight on women in general and I think it’s a bummer. Real beauty is on the inside, man.”

Simpson isn’t the first celebrity to get ripped for apparently putting on a few pounds, and despite all the furor in recent years over anorexic looking fashion models, it looks as if she won’t be the last.

Do we really still want our celebs to look super-slim all the time?

Kate Winslet is not happy. A day after telling “Vanity Fair” magazine that she still feels like the “fat kid,” the British actress has attacked suggestions in the British press that her body was airbrushed to improve her physique for a glamorous front cover shot for the magazine. Her rep told People magazine that “Kate is furious at suggestions that her body has been airbrushed.” She said the only tweaks were the usual adjustments in glamour shots for skin shades.

“She is in terrific shape and what you see is how she looks or she would never have agreed to pose for those shots,” her rep told People magazine.

Why such a fuss? The 33-year-old actress and mother-of-two has been outspoken about her refusal to lose weight to conform the Hollywood ideal and ignored the British media following her weight fluctuations over the years. In early 2003 Britain’s GQ magazine had to apologise after running some digitally slimmed down pictures of Winslet to which she had not given her consent. At the time Winselt said she did not want people to think she was a hypocrite.