Simpson and Lachey in touch

Jessica Simpson has been having long phone conversations with her ex-husband.

The singer and actress, who was recently dumped by American football star boyfriend Tony Romo, has sparked reunion rumours after becoming increasingly close to her former spouse Nick Lachey.

Simpson has reportedly turned to Lachey to mend her broken heart since her relationship with Romo became rocky.

A source said: "Nick has never stopped loving Jessica. They have been in touch since they both became single recently.

"They have had a number of very long, sometimes more than an hour, conversations on the phone - especially since Jessica and Tony broke up."

However, it has been claimed a reunion could cause problems for Simpson as her family, particularly her father and manager Joe Simpson, are so against the idea.

A source said: "It won't happen. They have no respect for him. There is way too much bad blood between Nick and Joe for Jessica to even think about it."

Lachey split from his girlfriend of three years, TV presenter Vanessa Minnillo, in June.

Simpson had been with Romo since November 2007 when he ended their relationship the night before her 29th birthday last week.

She and former 98 Degrees boyband member Lachey married in 2002, before the pair split in 2005.

Their marriage was the inspiration behind their MTV reality show 'Newlyweds'.