Ben Affleck has opened up on what he regrets most about his decade-long marriage with Jennifer Garner…
He revealed that he “certainly made mistakes” in his relationship with Garner.
Some fans have shared their shock at the news.
Scroll on to see for yourself…
Now, Ben Affleck has had quite the experience when it comes to romance.
The actor and filmmaker has constantly been in and out of the headlines with his explosive love life.
I suppose that’s what happens when you’re Batman, right?
Let’s start from the beginning…
It all first began when Affleck began dating Gwyneth Paltrow.
The pair met at a dinner party thrown by the notorious Harvey Weinstein in 1997, and they started dating soon after Paltrow ended her engagement to Brad Pitt. Rebound of the century, right?
But, their relationship came to an end a couple of years later.
They apparently remain firm friends today, with Paltrow revealing in a 2015 interview with Howard Stern that she “likes him” and is “still friends with him.”
Shortly after things ended with Paltrow, Affleck struck up another high-profile romance…
This time with the actress and singer, Jennifer Lopez.
The pair were together for 2 years and were even set to marry.
But one week before their wedding date, the couple postponed their wedding “due to the excessive media attention.” And, in early 2004, Lopez confirmed to the media that she had called off the engagement.
But then, along came a different Jennifer.
Just 9 months after his very public breakup with Lopez, Affleck, and Jennifer Garner were seen out and about together at a Boston Red Sox World Series Game.
Affleck and Garner began dating in 2004 and just a year later they were married.
In 2005, the pair tied the knot in a private ceremony in Turks and Caicos.
The pair welcomed 3 children together during their relationship.
But sadly, after being together for over a decade, Affleck and Garner separated in 2015 and finalized their divorce in 2017. Rumors of Affleck’s infidelity were flying but, to this day, he profusely denied being unfaithful.
Though he denied any claims of infidelity, Affleck did admit to heavy drinking habits.
“I drank relatively normally for a long time. What happened was that I started drinking more and more when my marriage was falling apart. This was 2015, 2016. My drinking, of course, created more marital problems,” he explained to the New York Times.
“The biggest regret of my life is this divorce,” he continued.
“Shame is really toxic. There is no positive byproduct of shame. It’s just stewing in a toxic, hideous feeling of low self-worth and self-loathing.”
Affleck then dated Ana De Armas for a short while before calling it quits earlier this year.
And since then, Affleck has been dating someone that we all know very well.
Affleck and Jennifer Lopez began dating again.
While the pair have not shared much of their relationship, they seem to be absolutely smitten.
The news emerged last year that Affleck was back with Jennifer Lopez, and they quickly took their relationship to the next level.
Almost twenty years on from when Affleck initially asked for her hand in marriage, the duo got engaged once again.
Back in February, Lopez opened up about her relationship with Affleck this time around to PEOPLE, she said: “We’re older now, we’re smarter, we have more experience, we’re at different places in our lives, we have kids now, and we have to be very conscious of those things.”
“It’s a beautiful outcome that this has happened in this way at this time in our lives where we can really appreciate and celebrate each other and respect each other,” Lopez continued. “We always did, but we have even more of an appreciation because we know that life can take you in different directions.”
Lopez and Affleck were also spotted house hunting recently before settling on a $55 million Bel-Air home…
It’s a whopping 20,000 sq ft. featuring 10 bedrooms and seventeen bathrooms, and of course, a pool.
Lopez shared the incredible news of her engagement in her newsletter, revealing her ring in the video, with the voiceover: “You’re perfect.”
Just days earlier, her sister Lynda took to Instagram to share a photo of her ring on her Story, congratulating the pair.
She later shared that the proposal was the most “romantic thing” ever.
And she did so by writing in the JLO Newsletter.
“Did you ever imagine your biggest dream could come true?” Lopez began in the newsletter, as per PEOPLE.
“Saturday night while at my favorite place on earth (in the bubble bath), my beautiful love got on one knee and proposed,” she continued writing.
“I was taken totally off guard and just looked in his eyes smiling and crying at the same time trying hard to get my head around the fact that after 20 years this was happening all over again, I was quite literally speechless and he said, ‘is that a yes?’ I said YES of course that’s a YES.
“I was smiling so big and tears were coming down my face, feeling so incredibly happy and whole.
“It was nothing fancy at all, but it was the most romantic thing I could’ve ever imagined… just a quiet Saturday night at home, two people promising to always be there for each other,” she wrote.
And then she finished by saying that they are: “Two very lucky people. Who got a second chance at true love.”
And now, the loved-up pair have finally tied the knot…
According to TMZ, who obtained a marriage license with their names on it, the couple tied the knot on Saturday, July 16.
In an email to her followers, Lopez wrote: “Love is beautiful. Love is kind. And it turns out love is patient. Twenty years patient.”
She added: “Stick around long enough and maybe you’ll find the best moment of your life in a drive-through in Las Vegas at 12:30 in the morning in the tunnel of love drive-through with your kids and the one you’ll spend forever with.”
A source close to the pair added: ‘They did, indeed, get hitched and the license is a signal they are now man and wife.”
It’s safe to say that Affleck has had some pretty high-profile relationships.
In an appearance on The Howard Stern Show, Affleck spoke with Howard Stern about his drinking habits during his relationship and divorce from Garner.
And what he had to say was eye-opening.
Speaking with Stern about his divorce from Garner, Affleck said: “Part of why I started drinking was because I was trapped,” E! Online reports.
Affleck explained that he and Garner’s stayed together for as long as they did for their 3 children.
He said that he felt he couldn’t leave because of his kids but wasn’t happy.
“And what I did was [I] drank a bottle of scotch and fell asleep on the couch, which turned out not to be the solution,” he explained.
But, while Affleck’s marriage to Garner didn’t work, he still has “love and respect” for her.
“We had a marriage that didn’t work,” he said. “This happens. She’s somebody I love and respect, but to whom I shouldn’t be married any longer.”
Affleck added that they completed their divorce “amicably” and the best they could.
“Did we have moments of tension? Did we have disagreements over custody? Was stuff difficult for us? Did we get angry?” he continued. “Yes, but fundamentally it was always underpinned with a respect.”
Affleck then went on to speak about how he knew he need help with his drinking addiction “when I felt as if it impacted” his children.
“The cure for addiction is suffering, you suffer enough that something inside you goes, ‘I’m done,'” he said. “I’m lucky because I hit that point before I lost the things that were most important. Not my career or money, it was my relationship with my kids.”
Affleck also added that he believed that if he were still with Garner, he would “probably still be drinking.”
Before this, he shared one of his biggest regrets when it comes to their marriage.
Affleck opened up to The New York Times in 2020 about his relationship…
“Shame is really toxic. There is no positive byproduct of shame. It’s just stewing in a toxic, hideous feeling of low self-worth and self-loathing.”
He added: “I have certainly done things that I regret. But you’ve got to pick yourself up, learn from it, learn some more, try to move forward.”
He told the publication that “the biggest regret of my life is this divorce.”
What do you make of his comments?