Secret sleepovers
Will Jen and Ben reunite?
If there’s one quality that has endeared Jennifer Garner to her fans more than anything else, it’s not her quick smile, her clear warmth or her killer action-hero skills. It’s her candour.
Even as the effervescent actress went through a heartbreaking divorce from Ben Affleck after he reportedly cheated on her with their children’s nanny, she refused to shy away from the toll it took –an anomaly in perfection-obsessed Hollywood.
“I would not have chosen
this life for myself or my kids,” the mother of Violet, 12, Seraphina, nine, and Samuel, six, confessed last year. “I would not choose to be single or be in this position.”
Admitting she felt damaged by her 2015 separation from Ben, brunette beauty Jennifer continued, “I haven’t been on a date and I am not interested in dating. People want to set me up and I am just like, ‘No, thank you!’”
Although the Love, Simon actress delayed officially requesting a divorce for two years as she continued trying to save her marriage to her husband of more than a decade, now that she’s done, she’s done – a fact of which Ben is painfully aware.
Exfactor
Since the papers were filed in April 2017, “he’s begged her to come back several times, but she has no interest”, an insider reveals to Woman’s Day. Yes, even though the Justice
League actor, 45, has moved on to TV producer Lindsay Shookus, 37, he had at one point been telling friends he wanted his ex-wife back.
But for Jennifer, 45, his efforts were too little, too late. “She put her heart and soul into fixing the relationship, wanting so desperately to turn things around for the children’s sake as well as theirs,” says a friend. “She forgave him for so much and still he couldn’t change.”
Although she is civil to him, it’s for one reason only. “She feels it’s important to keep the peace and be a family unit,” says our insider. But as for rekindling her romance with her ex, “she’s not going there at all”.
For a brief moment, a reconciliation was possible. As we’ve previously reported, Jennifer helped Ben enter a
treatment centre for alcohol abuse late last year.
“When Ben was in rehab, Jennifer was there every day visiting,” says a source close to the former couple. “They did family counselling to work on their relationship.”
Having focused on both his mental and physical health, the repentant actor even unleashed a daring
declaration. “Ben said he didn’t want to live without her,” our source explains.
At one point, it seemed as if the superstar pair – who tied the knot in the Caribbean in 2005, while Jen was four months pregnant with Violet – would give their love another go.
“Things looked positive,” says the source. “Jennifer was very caring, very present. They both wanted it to work. It was like they were together again.”
But the actress was soon reminded of the demons her ex – who has struggled with alcohol addiction, gambling and the allure of other women – would always carry. Her friend tells, “He obviously didn’t fight hard enough for the marriage or put Jennifer at the top of his priority list, or they’d still be together.”
Our insider adds, “She’s annoyed by some of his behaviour, but she always puts her kids first and puts on a happy face.”
Stayingover
Now, when Ben does spend the night in Jennifer’s home in Los Angeles, it’s simply to log some time with their children. “She just wants her kids to have a healthy, happy and engaged father, and she’ll do whatever it takes to make that happen,” explains the insider. Now that the actress is out from under Ben’s spell, she’s open to loving again. Last October, Jennifer’s sisters wanted to set her up on a blind date with a doctor, but she declined. Recently, however, with the help of a few quiet dates with new men, including one Ben lookalike, that attitude has shifted. “Jen is ready to go with her feelings and give love another try,” explains her friend. “It’s no exaggeration to say that Ben broke her heart and left her in a terrible place emotionally, but it’s been almost three years since
they called it quits. It’s time for her to move on.”
The sexy single mum, who flaunted her fabulous figure at the recent Academy Awards, has been feeling the urge to mingle, adds our insider. “Jen misses having a man in her life because she’s such a caretaker and loves to nurture.”
And it’s been a long time since the actress – who was married to Scandal actor Scott Foley, 45, from 2000 to 2004 – was single. “She’s had to adapt to not having that partner and best friend nearby,” reports the insider, adding that “if the right person walked into her life and everything lined up, she’d be open to it”.
The only catch is her children. “She’s devoted everything to helping her kids with the divorce transition,” says our source, “and she’s been clear that she’ll continue making that her top priority.”
Movingon
That integrity will only make her more appealing to the right person. “She’s an incredible catch for whoever is lucky enough to be dating her,” says Jennifer’s friend. “Everyone is fully convinced she’ll pick up the pieces and find someone worthy.”
So what’s her strategy to moving on? “Jen isn’t looking to play the field,” explains our source. “That’s not her style.”
Instead of a boyfriend, “her focus is on finding a partner” – and he’ll get bonus points if he’s a civilian. “She’d prefer a non-famous person because he won’t have that same baggage and scrutiny she found so hard to deal with,” the source adds. “And by dating someone outside of the usual celebrity circles, she’ll maintain her own identity. She wants to shine on her own.”