Jessica Simpson Was A Teen Lifesaver 9/11/08

Jessica Simpson saved a suicidal school friend from killing herself when the superstar was 16 years old. Emily Usher, 26, has revealed how depression and bullying drove her to take an overdose of painkillers in 1996, when she was 14.

Usher tells Star magazine, "I swallowed a bunch of pills I found in my family's medicine cabinet. Over-the-counter stuff." She called schoolpal Simpson, who rushed to her aid: "I didn't tell her what I had done, but I was sobbing hysterically and begged for someone to come and get me."

She claims the singer rushed her back to the Simpson home, where dad Joe spotted something wrong: "I was lethargic and nauseous, and Joe started yelling at me, 'Did you take something.'"

When she admitted to taking the pills, she was rushed to hospital and her stomach was pumped. Twelve years on she says, "I haven't spoken to them since they moved to Los Angeles, but I'll always be grateful for their kindness."