A newly brunette Jessica Simpson says seeing her ex-husband Nick Lachey with other women so soon after their breakup was painful.

“Oh, it hurt me,” Simpson tells Elle in its March issue. “Two or three weeks later? Yeah, I’d say it kind of hurt me.”

Immediately following the Newlywed’s split, Nick was romantically linked to Laguana Beach’s Kristen Cavallari. He is now dating MTV VJ Vanessa Minnillo.

J.S also reported that she still keeps in touch with N.J: “He’s so much a part of my life, how could I not be? Any guy who’s going to be with me from this day forward has to understand that.”

Jessica received ten e-mail messages from rumored rebound guy John Mayer, who the singer refused to comment about.