Jennifer Lopez has broken her silence on her shocking split from Ben Affleck after two years of marriage.
The former couple swept the world along in their love story when they reunited in 2021, two decades after they famously broke off their engagement.
From there, the Jenny From The Block singer, 55, and Batman actor, 52, enjoyed a whirlwind romance and tied the knot in two separate ceremonies in 2022 – but were met with intense split speculation earlier this year.
Although neither addressed the rumors publicly, J Lo filed for divorce in August, brining their relationship to an end.
Speaking publicly about their break-up for the first time, without naming her ex, she spoke of needing to be alone after a tough few months in a wide-ranging chat with Interview Magazine.
‘You have to be healthy,’ she said. ‘You have to be complete, if you want something that’s more complete. You have to be good on your own. I thought I learned that, but I didn’t. And then, this summer, I had to be like, “I need to go off and be on my own. I want to prove to myself that I can do that.”’
Conceding that it was a ‘f**king hard’ experience, she continued: ‘It feels lonely, unfamiliar, scary. It feels sad. It feels desperate. But when you sit in those feelings and go, “These things are not going to kill me,” it’s like actually, I am capable of joy and happiness all by myself.
‘Being in a relationship doesn’t define me. I can’t be looking for happiness in other people. I have to have happiness within myself. I used to say I’m a happy person, but was still looking for something for somebody else to fill, and it’s just like, “No, I’m actually good.”’
When asked about having a ‘new bar’ for the next person that comes along, Jennifer vowed that she’s ‘not looking for anybody’, as she has been able to look inwards for happiness instead.
‘For people who are romantics and love being in relationships and want to grow old with somebody, we think, “I have to have that to be whole and happy.” And you don’t,’ she added.
‘It’s a lifelong process. I think that’s what I love about life, that there’s no arrival point. There’s only getting better and growing if you want to. It’s either growing or dying, and I don’t want to do the dying part.
‘And yeah, there’s times when I thought I figured it out, and then life goes, “Let’s send you another thing and see if you fall for it. Let’s see if you really have learned that lesson.” And I hadn’t.’
Bennifer first started dating in the early 2000s and got engaged shortly after – they called off their wedding shortly before they were due to walk down the aisle, and later announced their split.
They both moved on as Jennifer said her vows with Marc Anthony, while Ben welcomed three children with ex-wife Jennifer Garner.
In a turn of events worthy of an award-winning rom-com, they reunited in 2021, and jetted to Las Vegas in July of the following year for a surprise wedding, before hosting a fairytale second ceremony.
Jennifer filed to legally end their union on August 20 – their second wedding anniversary – and reportedly listed their official date of separation as April 26, 2024, in documents obtained via TMZ.
It is unclear whether they had signed a pre-nuptial agreement before heading down the aisle for a surprise ceremony in Las Vegas.
According to the outlet, the Hustlers actress also gave up spousal support and asked the judge to deny Ben the same.
Despite going their separate ways, the stars have been putting on a united front in public, and were pictured enjoying a family day out just a few weeks ago.
‘They want to show the kids that things are amicable,’ an insider told People Magazine. ‘They want to stay friendly. There’s still a lot of love.’
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