United Kingdom, Sept. 24 -- Jessica Simpson feels "blessed" to have "gone through the hard stuff" in her life.

The 45-year-old star has returned to performing music live, after announcing her separation from husband Eric Johnson earlier this year, and Jessica is now looking to the future with optimism.

The blonde beauty - who has Maxwell, 13, Ace, 12, and Birdie, six, with Eric - told People: "I was just in Pittsburgh to perform for the first time since 2008 for 60-plus minutes. It felt like home. It was such an adrenaline rush. It was beautiful for me.

"I'm actually blessed to have gone through the hard stuff that I went through. I feel like I'm on the other side. I'm proud to be doing music independently and have my kids rooting for ...