Maybe you should have stayed w/your husband

Rumor has it that a sex-starved Jessica Simpson used the Internet to find a new man, but her search ended in disaster when the mystery date turned out to be a male escort. "Jessica logged on to an internet dating site to find company," reveals a friend. "She found a picture of a guy in LA she thought was ideal."

However, her hopefulness turned to horror when she discovered the man she was meeting was a prostitute. "They arranged to meet, but when she turned up, she found out the sad truth — he was only interested in a 'professional transaction'. The guy turned out to be a male escort." The humiliated pop star fled the scene as soon as she realised she'd been tricked. "Jessica was horrified and told him to go to hell," says a pal. "She wasn't that desperate."

But it was desperation that drove her to seek companionship over the Internet in the first place. Since splitting with her now ex-husband Nick Lachey in late 2005, Jess's love-life has gone from bad to worse. Maroon 5 frontman Adam Levine, comedian Dane Cook, party promoter Brent Bolthouse and actor Orlando Bloom are some of the men she has been linked to. However, each relationship has fizzled, leaving Jess, 26, lonelier with each rejection.

The blonde singer has publicly admitted she needs a man. "I'm a little sexually frustrated right now," she told US talk show host Jay Leno recently. Having no luck with her celebrity encounters, pals say Jessica turned to the Net to find a regular guy. Insiders say she was also trying to score a date behind the back of her controlling father and manager Joe Simpson, who doesn't believe anyone is good enough for his A-list daughter.

"She thought the answer was on the Internet, to be anonymous," a pal reveals. "She doesn't tell guys on the Web she's famous and loaded with money. She comes over as this shy, retiring Texan girl. She quite enjoyed ... the chance to flirt and be herself." While Jess was reportedly spending up to nine hours a day on dating sites, her sordid meeting with the male hooker has put her off high-tech love. "She never imagined male hookers would be trying to cash in on the service," says an insider. "It's turned her off the Web — and that was her main hobby."

ninemsn