MAGAZINE DENIES FAT JESSICA SIMPSON

Jessica Simpson

Executives at Self fitness magazine are denying dropping pop singer Jessica Simpson from an upcoming cover shoot due to the recent controversy over her weight. The star found herself in the spotlight recently after she was pictured looking notably curvier on-stage at a concert in Pembroke Pines, Florida last week. The pictures prompted speculation about her weight gain, with the star’s sister Ashlee branding the media attention "embarrassing and belittling" in an angry rant on her blog. Simpson was subsequently reported to have been dropped from a planned shoot with Self magazine over her excess pounds. But the publication’s Editor-In-Chief Lucy Danziger has dismissed the rumors, insisting that the cover was scrapped due to scheduling conflicts.