As Ben Affleck and Jennifer Garner head for a divorce, it’s been more than a decade since his split from another Jen entirely had Hollywood gossips in a spin.
And now, reports suggest that Jen is none too pleased that Ben and his former fiancée Jennifer Lopez are once again close.
UK newspaper The Sun says Jen (of the Garner variety) was “concerned” about his reignited friendship with J.Lo – and it’s no wonder Jen was wary, with insiders saying they’ll never truly get over each other.
“Everyone is saying it’s inevitable they will get together again at some point,” says the newspaper’s sources. “We call them the Richard Burton and Liz Taylor of Hollywood.”
Liz and Richard were the loves of each other’s lives.
Ben and J.Lo were together for 18 months before splitting in 2004. He became in engaged to Jennifer Garner in 2006. But in 2012, Ben let slip a surprising revelation – that he was still constantly in touch with his ex.
“We don’t have the kind of relationship where she relies on me for advice,” Ben told The Hollywood Reporter. “But we do have the kind of relationship where we’ll email and go, ‘Oh, your movie looks great’. I respect her, I like her. She’s put up with some stuff that was unfair in her life, and I’m really pleased to see her successful.”
Fuelling the fire are reports of a “flirty reunion” between Ben and J.Lo at the Oscars earlier this year, when neither her rumoured boyfriend Casper Smart nor Jen were present. Sources backstage say Ben “whispered in her ear,” while she playfully “swatted his arm”.
“They were flirty at the Oscars and have stayed in touch,” says a source. “Jen never liked it.”
In June, the cracks in Ben and Jen’s marriage were increasingly obvious.
Ben and Jen waited until their marriage had ticked past the 10 year mark – admittedly only by one day – before announcing their split.
It’s believed they are currently splitting up their assets with a mediator before they officially divorce, and they say they will share custody of their children Violet, 9, Seraphina, 6, and Samuel, 3.
While they are based in Los Angeles, Ben is rarely home, instead throwing himself into his role as Batman on the Toronto set of new movie Suicide Squad.
