Behind the Jessica Simpson-Tony Romo Breakup

Asked two weeks ago  what he had planned for Jessica Simpson's birthday July 10, Tony Romo said, "It's a secret." Guess a kick out the door works best by surprise.

As it turned out, Simpson's birthday surprise turned out to be a shocker as the Dallas Cowboys quarterback ended their year-and-a-half relationship July 9.

So what's behind the Jessica Simpson-Tony Romo breakup? Nobody would say they didn't give it a good shot – weathering many a storm and breakup rumor.

After Simpson and her family went to see Romo play for the first time in November 2007, things moved pretty quickly – he even kissed her on their first date!

Days later, they shared Thanksgiving together in Texas.

The curse of Jessica Simpson dooms the Cowboys in Dallas.

In December, after Tony played his worst game ever while his new girlfriend looked on from the stands in a stupid pink Romo jersey, some fans blamed Simpson for distracting the star as the Cowboys lost to the Philadelphia Eagles.

Still, the couple rebounded with a Mexican getaway, a playoff loss to the New York Giants and a romantic Valentine's Day dinner with a public PDA session on his birthday (complete with a frosting fight) come spring. All good.

By May, rumors began to swirl that the couple was heading for a split. But Joe Simpson talked Tony Romo out of dumping Jessica her rep denied talk of a breakup, and Romo escorted Simpson to her sister Ashlee's wedding that same month.

The summer seemed blissful for the couple: Simpson went home with her man to Wisconsin where they had dinner with his parents. Later, she dedicated her song, "You're My Sunday," to Romo during a concert tour for her country album.

Jessica Simpson "fashion" causes quite a stir in Florida.

At the beginning of 2009, Romo stood by Jessica Simpson when she was slammed on blogs for looking fat, even taking her out for a romantic night out in New York.

They attended the NBA Finals in early June and appeared happy, but were drifting away. In recent weeks, however, the couple have been spending time apart.

"They've been having a lot of problems lately in general," a source says.

Their last public appearance was July 1 when she sang the National Anthem at a golf tournament in Bethesda, Md. Just nine days later, Simpson ended up celebrating her birthday quietly "with family and close friends" after getting dumped.

Meanwhile, Romo was spotted out with a group of friends at L.A. hotspot MyHouse. According to a source, Romo was out with the guys to "lift his spirits."

Tony Romo and Jessica Simpson's last public appearance together July 1.