Jennifer Lopez Opens Up About Her 2003 Split From Ben Affleck: Why Their ‘Relationship Crumbled’

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Jennifer Lopez, 54, didn’t shy away from discussing her romantic past in her latest interview with Variety on February 13. Over 20 years after her famous breakup with her now-husband Ben Affleck, 51, J.Lo revealed what led to their public downfall. “Our relationship crumbled under the weight of the pressure,” she told the outlet. Bennifer were first engaged in 2002 and eventually called it quits just days before their 2003 wedding.

“We lost a sense of ourselves, and we needed to separate because we didn’t know how to survive it,” Jennifer told Variety. “I had to figure myself out, and he had to figure himself out.” In 2003, Ben and J.Lo starred in the film, Gigli, and they also had to endure tons of tabloid attention. Now, J.Lo is revealing the unknown details of their relationship in her upcoming documentary, The Greatest Love Story Never Told, set to premiere after her musical film, This Is Me … Now: A Love Story.

The outlet was able to catch a sneak peak at the doc, set to premiere on February 27, and Ben didn’t hold back on his thoughts regarding Jennifer’s tell-all film. “Things that are private I always felt are sacred and special because, in part, they’re private,” the Gone Girl star said in the film. “So this was something of an adjustment for me.” Ben is known to be private about his personal life, and that difference between them also came up during J.Lo’s project.

Later, Jennifer allowed a team of creatives to read Ben’s love letters that he previously wrote for her. The father-of-three was not seemingly keen on putting his private love notes on full display. “I did really find the beauty and the poetry and the irony in the fact that it’s the greatest love story never told,” he said in the documentary. “If you’re making a record about it, that seems kind of like telling it.” The album, This Is Me… Now, comes over two decades after Jennifer dropped This Is Me… Then. Both albums share a common theme – her love for Ben.

Jennifer and her leading man eventually reconnected after their 2003 split and were engaged once more by April 2022. Later that summer, the couple hosted a lavish wedding in Georgia and made their commitment to each other official. Variety noted that J.Lo had asked Khloe Kardashian to be in the upcoming project, however, the reality TV personality declined. “People are scared to put themselves out there,” the 54-year-old said in the doc. “I get it. It took me a long time. I’m scared. But I don’t act like I’m scared — that’s the secret to my whole f****** career.” Jennifer’s album is set to drop on February 16, alongside the musical film.