How Jessica Alba and Cash Warren battled jealousy and a lack of romance as they tried to save 17-year marriage

Their relationship was nearly ripped apart by his insecurities, and despite working hard to stay together, Jessica Alba and Cash Warren were finally forced to admit defeat and call time on their ailing marriage after struggling ‘romantically for over a year’.

The Honey actress, 43, who had not been pictured wearing her wedding rings for months, confirmed her separation from Cash, 46, on Thursday, following weeks of speculation about the state of their relationship.

‘I’ve been on a journey of self realization and transformation for years – both as an individual and in partnership with Cash,’ she said in a statement. 

‘I’m proud of how we’ve grown in our marriage over the last 20 years and it’s now time for us to embark on a new chapter of growth and evolution as individuals.’

Now, insiders have claimed their 17-year marriage slowly broke down after a change in ‘priorities’ took a fatal toll.

‘Things have been pretty bad with them romantically for a over a year,’ a source told DailyMail.com. ‘They are so devoted to their kids and their careers but they weren’t growing their relationship. They’re just friends.’

Jessica Alba and Cash Warren had been struggling ‘romantically for over a year’, sources told DailyMail.com 

The insider noted that the pair had gone into their marriage with hopes of collaboration in love and business, but things didn’t work out as planned.  

‘When they started out, they thought they were going to be working on and producing movies and TV shows together,’ they continued. ‘But once their businesses took off and they had kids, their priorities changed and in turn their feelings did too.’

The pair met on the set of the Fantastic Four in 2004 and got married four years later in May 2008. 

By 2011, Jessica had co-founded The Honest Company which was valued at $1.44 billion when it went public in 2021.

Meanwhile, Cash’s business ventures include production company, Verso Entertainment, and underwear brand, Pair of Thieves, which is reported to make over $100 million in revenue. 

Jessica’s success had left Cash feeling like their relationship was not a top priority for her, with the source claiming she was ‘so focused on her business that she didn’t give Cash any leverage to make things work, and he did try.’  

‘She just continued to shoot down any attempts to go on dates and do stuff as a couple,’ they continued. 

‘It reached a point where it was easier for him to give up and give her what he felt she ultimately wanted.’ 

Insiders claim that the couple had simply been ‘going through the motions’ before calling time on the relationship, years after Cash’s jealousy saw them take a four year break 

The Honey actress, 43, who had not been pictured wearing her wedding rings for months, confirmed her separation from Cash, 46, on Thursday 

Over the years, Cash had been open out about how his jealously nearly ruined their relationship when they first started dating.

During an appearance on Jana Kramer’s Whine Down podcast in 2023, he explained: ‘When we first started dating, I was really jealous of other guys and the attention she was getting from other guys. It just wasn’t making me feel good.

‘I was always a pretty confident person in my own [life], walking my own path and really happy there, and next thing you know I’m looking up and feeling jealous all the time.’

He continued: ‘I was like, “I hate feeling like this. It doesn’t make me feel good, and I know it doesn’t make you feel good”.’

It culminated in the pair taking a four year break. 

‘It was the jealousy,’ he said. ‘I was turning into an a**hole, and we broke up.’

Cash insisted that after taking time to work on his feelings, he focused his energy on being his wife’s biggest supporter and a ‘good teammate’.

Despite wild speculation about what was behind the decision to split again, the source stressed that infidelity had not played a part. 

The source explained that Cash had been left feel like their relationship was not a top priority: ‘She just continued to shoot down any attempts to go on dates and do stuff as a couple’

The insider added: ‘It reached a point where it was easier for him to give up and give her what he felt she ultimately wanted’

‘They both want a fresh start,’ the insider noted. ‘There was no cheating involved. They just were going through the motions in the last year or two and it was time to move on.’ 

Jessica made telling comments about the lack of romance in their lives during a 2024 appearance on Katherine Schwarzenegger’s podcast Before, During And After Baby.

‘It’s all rosy for two and a half years, but then after that you become roommates,’ she reflected. ‘You’re just going through the motions. It’s the responsibilities. It’s a lot of like checking the boxes, right?

‘And so, we used to do like: “Every Wednesday, we’re gonna do date night,” or: “Every week, we’re gonna set aside a time, we’re gonna at least to date night, right? We won’t have our phones and we’ll just like talk.”

‘But then that stopped, because of whatever. And so we’re just not consistent, but I would say that being able to communicate when you’re unhappy and nipping it right away, instead of letting it sort of fester, and then you have animosity and then it explodes, which we’ve done – we’ve gone through that one too.’

Jessica, who joked that Cash had ‘basically stole my 20s and my 30s,’ added: ‘So we have, obviously, the friendship, the comfort of: “You’re not going anywhere,” and so sometimes we don’t treat those people the best, right?

‘One night a week, date night might be enough at some point of your life, but it might not be enough in a month. You might need something else.’

Elsewhere in the chat, she admitted that she didn’t always find the balance between her own responsibilities and ensuring that her husband ‘feels tended to’.

The pair share three children – daughters Honor, 16, and Haven 13, plus son Hayes, seven 

Despite current speculation about what caused the decision to split again, the source stressed that infidelity had not played a part in their marriage breakdown (pictured in November) 

‘You know, I think that [Cash] probably gets the short end of the stick,’ she said. ‘It’s hard. It’s impossible.’ 

Jessica also hinted at how her recent spiritual growth might have caused the pair to drift apart.

Speaking to US Weekly in July of that same year, Cash admitted he had tried to get into the self-discovery journey with his partner. 

He noted: ‘What’s awesome is that we’re also still willing to participate. Jessica is on an awesome spiritual journey right now. I’ll do sound baths with her. 

‘I’ll learn about crystals. I’ll get my charts read. I’ll learn about it alongside her and she’s always opening me up to new things.’

The pair share three children – daughters Honor, 16, and Haven 13, plus son Hayes, seven.

Earlier this week, it was revealed that Jessica has now retained a divorce attorney as the pair prepare to separate officially.  

According to Goldie Schon, a legal expert and family law specialist, Cash could get $2 million a year from Alba because the actress is required to pay much more than child support.

Jessica co-founded The Honest Company which was valued at $1.7 billion when it went public in 2021 

According to legal experts, Cash could get $2 million a year from Alba because the actress is required to pay much more than child support

Schon, who focuses on complicated custody and divorce cases, says that given the significant wealth gap between them, told The U.S. Sun. that Cash’s chances of leaving their marriage richer would not be impacted by whether or not they had a prenuptial agreement.

According to Celebrity Net Worth, Cash has a net worth of $50 million, while Jessica has double the fortune with $100 million.

Though The Honest Company went public with an $1.44 billion valuation, the company is now valued at a more modest $609 million.

After 12 years of running the business as chief creative officer, Jessica stepped down last year – though she still retains an advisory capacity on its board of directors.