Ben and the nanny
(Celebrity Gossip) - He said. She said. That’s really what it comes down to.
Ben Affleck has vigorously denied that he and his former children’s nanny had anything more than a professional relationship, as a celebrity magazine claims. Christine Ouzounian, though, told friends that she is “in love” with the actor and that their relationship quickly became intimate after she began watching his and Jennifer Garner’s three kids in the spring.
“Christine is in love with him,” a friend of hers told People magazine, adding that Christine has told many of her friends about the affair.
On July 29, Ben’s rep vehemently denied that there was any kind of romantic relationship between the two, calling the Us Weekly cover story on the alleged affair “complete garbage and full of lies.” The actor is considering his legal options against the magazine.
Ben and Christine had “a work relationship and a friendship,” a friend of Ben’s said. “There has never been a romantic or sexual relationship.”
Her friends, though, say differently, telling People the two would often have secret rendezvouses at the Hotel
Bel Air in Los Angeles. On July 17, they were photographed together at his L.A.-area rental house. Entertainment Tonight even said Christine “tipped off” the paparazzi so that they would capture her and the Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice star together.
“It’s been going on for a long time,” Christine’s friend said, claiming that she has seen pictures of her pal sitting on Ben’s lap, as well as images of the two of them kissing.
“For Christine, it was a relationship,” a second pal said. “A friend warned her she was going to end up heartbroken.”
Christine, who works for a highend Beverly Hills, Calif, baby-sitting service, was let go after Jen found out about the alleged trysts with her husband. She “was livid,” a friend of hers said, “and I don’t blame her because if my children bonded with you and you did this? It’s just the biggest betrayal.”
On June 30, Ben and Jen announced that they were getting divorced. On the day of the announcement, the former power couple was in the Bahamas on a family trip with children Violet, 9, Seraphina, 6, and Samuel, 3. Christine, her friends say, was there, too. She and Ben left the Bahamas while Jen was still there.
It was then that Jen supposedly found out about the relationship and subsequently fired Christine, who had worked for the couple for a matter of months.
“This was not one of the reasons for the breakup,” Ben’s buddy said. “There was no affair during or after [their marriage]. Ben and Jen have been separated for months.”
In Us Weekly’s cover story, that magazine claimed that Ben and Christine’s relationship began after he and his wife had separated, but long before the official announcement came out.
“They would hang out without the kids,” Us’ source said in the explosive story. “And they were very flirty.”