(CBS) It seems that with a failed marriage under his belt, Nick Lachey has some wisdom on how to make relationships work.

"Relationships are difficult for anyone and then we all have those moments where it's like crumbling around you and you always have to try and look at the big picture and keep your perspective and keep working, it's all about continuing to work at it," Lachey says in an interview with AP Entertainment during a recent trip to London to promote the U.K. release of his album "What's Left Of Me."

The singer, who is dating Vanessa Minnillo, says a girl doesn't have to be a star to catch his eye. His ideal mate is a combinations of things, sexiness and intelligence being two important factors.

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Photos: Nick Lachey & Jessica Simpson

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"I go for the whole package deal," Lachey says. "I've never really had one specific type of woman. I think that attraction and sexiness can take so many different shapes and forms and that's kind of the fun of it, you never know what's going to be attractive to you. So I think it's a combination of physical beauty and intelligence and confidence and all those things certainly play into it."

Lachey says that he learned a lot from making the reality show "Newlyweds" with his ex-wife, Jessica Simpson (who's been getting cozy with bluesy singer John Mayer).

"You can't over-estimate the value of your privacy and once you give it up it's hard to regain it," he says. "I certainly value not having the cameras in my life anymore, it's a hard thing when it's your home — it's one thing to go to work and then be able to go back to your private life but when your work IS your private life and it's kind of all-encompassing it's a pretty difficult thing to live with."

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Nick Lachey Talks About Relationships

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His divorce from Simpson was a painful experience that was on his mind as he wrote songs for the new album, he says. It helped him deal with the split.

"Writing the album was very cathartic for me and I think for anyone who's gone through a break up or a divorce or something like that, everyone has their own process of dealing with that and at some point it's important to get all those feelings out, and whether it's through therapy or what have you. For me, writing this album, expressing myself through those lyrics was my therapy," he says.

As he's gotten older, he says, the lyrics flow more freely. "I just think that you have to come to a place in your life where you're kind of willing to let down your guard and just go for it and kind of right from the heart, and that's what I try to do on this record. And I think with maturity and age comes a little bit more perspective, and I think that helps to write better songs," he says.

Lachey's single "What's Left of Me" is released in the U.K. on Jan. 29.

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