Simpson's dad denies tipping off press

Jessica Simpson's father Joe has been forced to deny claims that he "sold out" his daughter by alerting the press to her whereabouts.

The actress was at the centre of a media frenzy when she went on a Christmas break to Mexico with her new boyfriend Tony Romo, who plays for the Dallas Cowboys.

Joe Simpson, who is also the actress's manager, has since been accused of tipping off the press about his daughter's holiday plans.

News of the break resulted in allegations from Cowboys fans that Simpson was distracting her boyfriend and causing him to play badly.

"Joe is well-known for his deals with the paparazzi, where the family gets a cut from the sales of the photographs," a source told the New York Daily News. "Nobody would have known that Tony was down in Mexico with Jessica if there hadn't been those pictures everywhere."

However, a representative for Simpson insisted: "Joe would never sell out his daughter to the media and would never do anything to hurt his own family or for that matter, Tony. This is categorically false."