When Ben Affleck and Jennifer Lopez rekindled their romance in 2021 after more than 15 years apart, fans went wild.
Across social media, people exclaimed ‘Let’s Get Loud’ in honour of the Latina singer’s top salsa hit as the reunited couple, who first dated between 2002 and 2004, were spotted kissing in public.
But three years on, it appears trouble may be afoot for Ben’s ‘one that got away’ romance, amid reports the Good Will Hunting actor moved out of the couple’s $60 million Los Angeles mansion, which was their marital home, ‘weeks ago’.
And as rumours swirl around the couple, the actor has been visited in his rented home in Brentwood, LA, by ex-wife, mother of his three children and friend Jennifer Garner. The pair separated in 2018 after a 10-year marriage but have remained close as they continue to co-parent children Violet, 18, Fin, 15 and Samuel, 12.
Despite ups and downs in their marriage and their eventual split, Jennifer has described Ben as ‘the love of my life’ even after their divorce. As sources continue to suggest JLo and Ben’s marriage is on the rocks; fans may be wondering if the other Jen is really the ‘one that got away’ for the actor.
As Jennifer Garner steps in one again to help Ben Affleck in a time of need, FEMAIL looks back on how their relationship blossomed and the pair continued to show deep affection for one another even after their divorce. Pictured watching the Boston Red Sox in their first public appearance as a couple, in 2005
Ben and Jennifer married in 2005 after meeting on the set of Pearl Harbor five years earlier. At the time they met, Jennifer was already married to Scott Foley.
In 2002, the actors met again when they starred together in Daredevil. Ben told Playboy he ‘fell in love’ with Jennifer during filming for Daredevil – but a few months after its release, he popped the question to JLo.
The following year, when Jennifer was still married and Ben was still engaged, the pair met once again as they made an appearance on Dinner for Five, a talk show where celebrities get together to eat, drink and chat.
Jennifer and Ben share three children together, Violet (left), Fin (centre) and Samuel (right). They have continued to co-parent the children since their split
The pair remain close despite their divorce which was finalised in 2018 and Ben has previously expressed his ‘regret’ over the split
Despite no longer being together, Jennifer was instrumental in getting Ben into rehab in 2018 and even drove him to the facility where he was treated for alcoholism
One of the production staff on the show, Jesse David Fox, claimed in a Vulture op-ed that he witnessed Jennifer ‘fall in love’ with Ben during filming for the talk show.
He recalled watching the Elektra actress laugh along with Ben while smiling and listening intently when he spoke. Shortly after the episode aired, Jennifer and Sean Foley announced they were divorcing. And just short of a year later, Ben and JLo called off their engagement.
Finally, in October 2004, Jennifer and Ben went public with their romance at a Boston Red Sox game. It soon became clear that the couple, despite being Hollywood royalty, liked to keep their relationship under wraps, and even their wedding was a tiny, private ceremony with just two people invited.
Over the next 10 years, the couple went on to have three children and constantly gushed about the other in public – with Ben dedicating a portion of his Golden Globes Best Director winning speech to his then-wife.
As he collected the award for his film Argo, he said: ‘I adore you, I love you. You’re my everything.’
The former couple remain close and Jennifer described Ben as ‘the love of her life’ even after they announced their separation, Pictured hugging in Florence, Italy
However, in 2015 the couple announced they were divorcing, just weeks after US Weekly reported Ben had flown the family nanny, Christine Ouzounian, to Las Vegas and quoted anonymous sources who said the pair were dating. (Ben’s representatives strenuously denied the reports).
In the statement announcing their split, the couple said: ‘We go forward with love and friendship for one another and a commitment to co-parenting our children whose privacy we ask to be respected during this difficult time.’
And since they separated, the pair have remained true to their statement; never speaking ill of the other in public, attending events at their children’s schools together and being there for the other person when times are tough.
Speaking to the Today show back in 2016, Jennifer discussed how she and the children had flown to London to be with Ben during the filming of Justice League.
She said: ‘He and I are great friends, and we just all went en masse.’
Ben dedicated a portion of his winning speech at the 2013 Golden Globes to his wife after he bagged Best Director for Argo
That same year, she revealed how the former couple had reunited once more to celebrate Samuel’s birthday party.
‘We all dressed up, I dressed up as a ninja, and Ben dressed up as Batman for Sam, which was the best dad moment in history,’ she told Extra at the time.
But perhaps Jennifer’s compassion and affection for her ex husband was best displayed during Ben’s addiction battle with alcohol.
After first undertaking a stint in rehab back in 2001, he also checked back into clinics in 2017 and 2018.
When he completed treatment in 2017, Ben released a statement confirming he had been to rehab in which he thanked Jennifer for sticking by him.
‘I’m lucky to have the love of my family and friends, including my co-parent, Jen, who has supported me and cared for our kids as I’ve done the work I set out to do,’ he wrote.
His most recent stay in rehab was provoked by Jennifer and their three children, who turned up at his home with a sober coach following a wild partying stint with a Playboy model after he split from his TV producer girlfriend.
Pictured: Jennifer Garner and Ben Affleck at the Vanity Fair Oscars after party in 2014
Ben appeared emotional as he left his house in a car driven by Jennifer. The actor reportedly arrived at The Canyon live-in rehab facility, in Malibu, that same evening.
At the time, Ben was said to have been off the wagon for ‘a while’ and knew he needed help before Jennifer stepped in and ‘read him the riot act’, according to Radar Online.
‘She doesn’t want her kids to grow up without a dad,’ a source said, adding that she told him to stop acting ‘selfish and childish.
‘She believes he needs to start acting more like a dad and less like a kid.’
Once Ben had completed his stay, he released another statement in which he thanked his loved ones, including Jennifer, for their support.
‘The support I have received from my family, colleagues, and fans means more to me than I can say,’ he wrote.
As Jennifer and Ben continue to co-parent and remain in each other’s lives, both have been vocal about their affection for one another.
In 2020, Ben told the New York Times: ‘The biggest regret of my life is this divorce.’
Meanwhile, Jen has continued to pay tribute in public to the father of her children. In 2018, just a few months before she took Ben to rehab, the actress dedicated a Father’s Day Instagram post to him.
‘Our kids are lucky to have a dad who looks at them the way you look at them and loves them the way you love them,’ she wrote.
And now, amid fears Ben is at risk of falling off the wagon once more, Jennifer has again stepped in to try and help, reports suggest.
Insiders told Dailymail.com that Jennifer is not only helping her ex-husband; but also his new wife J Lo amid reports their marriage is on ‘shaky ground’.
Sources have claimed Lopez has turned to Garner for help as she is one of a few people who can fully relate to her current predicament.
‘JLo has been confiding in Jen because she knows that she is one of the only people in the world who would understand what she is going through,’ the source told DailyMail.com exclusively.
Rumours have been swirling around J Lo and Ben Affleck for several weeks amid reports he has moved out of their marital home and is living in a rental (couple pictured together in December)
‘She has been through it with the same man herself and although the circumstances were quite different it is still the same man and they both dealt with some of the same issues.’
Garner was seen pulling up in the driveway of Affleck’s Brentwood mansion on Sunday, just hours after the exes met up for their son Samuel’s basketball game in Santa Monica.
The source explained that Garner, who is currently dating businessman John Miller, wants to help save their young marriage as she values the stabilizing force Lopez can be in her ex-husband’s life.
‘Jen does not want Ben to pull the plug on this marriage because she really does care about JLo,’ the insider said. ‘She did go to his house to talk to him about this and to try and keep the two of them together.
‘JLo was told several times by Jen how valued she is in all their lives. She is one of the only women who can get through to Ben and keep him from jumping off the deep end with his addiction.’
Rumours of an impending split have surrounded the couple for several weeks after fans noticed they had not been spotted together in public for 47 days and Ben did not accompany his wife to the Met Gala.
Although the couple stepped out in LA together last week, the joint appearance did little to alleviate speculation about the state of their marriage.
‘JLo and Ben are trying to make this work with all their might and Jen is definitely a cheerleader for them. Jen and Ben’s kids love JLo like a second mom and it would devastate them for this to end,’ the source added.
‘There are so many reasons why they should work it out and very few reasons why they should end it.’