OK! COVER STORY: Jessica Simpson's Family Torn Apart: Trapped By Warring Parents!

It should be the happiest time of her life, but Jessica Simpson’s family difficulties are threatening to overshadow the joy she’s felt over the birth of her daughter, Maxwell.

This terrible time came to a climax on Aug. 4, when Jessica’s father, Joe, was arrested on suspicion of DUI, a twist of fate that hit Jessica hard.

“She’s always been a Daddy’s girl. He’s her hero,” says an insider. “If he went to prison it would be beyond awful. She’s heartbroken.”

Joe has been putting on a brave face, but he is scared, too. “He’s terrified of going to jail. He could face up to six months and he’s worried that he’d be total jailbait in there for having two famous daughters. He’s distraught about it, but is trying to keep his cool in front of the family,” says the insider.

The DUI arrest has also widened the divide between Joe and Jessica’s mother, Tina, whose 34-year marriage reportedly has been on the rocks for quite some time, with Tina living alone in Malibu. Jessica had been hoping for a reconciliation, but now her mother is pushing harder for a formal separation, which Joe opposes. Their feuding has left Jessica in the middle feeling emotionally abandoned.

“She has always been hugely dependent on her parents, but they are going through their own crisis right now, which means they don’t have much time for her,” says the insider. “It’s left Jessica feeling sad and helpless.”

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