Daily Mirror (Northern Ireland)
Bennifer.. againifer?
JLO and Ben relationship set for shock sequel
perfect. The couple soon became a tabloid sensation. Much of the singer’s third album, This Is Me… Then, was inspired by their relationship. Her video for Jenny From the Block, out in November 2002, featured footage of paparazzi trailing Lopez and Affleck. They are seen eating, stopping at a petrol station and lounging on a yacht – where Affleck gives J Lo’s bikini’d bottom a rub. There was speculation the video harmed Affleck’s career and he later said he regretted it. It was meant to be a comment on the couple’s overexposure but it only seemed to result in more of it.
They went on to get engaged but postponed their
2003 wedding days beforehand. They had officially split by January 2004. In her 2014 book,
True Love, the singer called the breakup her “first real heartbreak”, adding: “It felt like my heart had been torn out of my chest. I sought out comfort in another person, tried to find someone who could make me feel loved and wanted in my loneliest hours.”
Lopez, who earlier dated rapper Sean “Puff Daddy” Combs, began a whirlwind romance with fellow Latin music star Marc Anthony in September 2003, with them saying “I do” in June 2004.
They welcomed twins, Max and Emme, in 2008, but split in 2011. Lopez, now 51, dated Casper Smart,
JEN’S EXES
17 years her junior, on and off until 2016. She was then linked to rap superstar Drake before going on to date New York Yankees baseball legend Alex “A-rod” Rodriguez.
The pair got engaged but called off their relationship last month.
When A-rod was this week asked about Lopez being pictured with Affleck so soon after their break-up, he bizarrely replied: “Go Yankees”.
Affleck has had equally high-profile relationships. Before Lopez, he dated Gwyneth Paltrow. After he split from JLO in 2003, he fell for another co-star, Jennifer Garner. They wed in June 2005 and had three children before divorcing in 2018. Other exes include TV producer Lindsay Shookus, former Playboy model Shauna Sexton and Bond actress Ana de Armas.
Last week it emerged Affleck had used the celebrity dating app Raya.
Throughout his relationships, he has openly battled alcohol addiction.
“It was really hard for me to accept I was an alcoholic,” the Argo director said. It did not fail to stop him amassing a £106million fortune – a figure dwarfed by J-lo’s £283m.
Affleck hinted of his feelings for Lopez earlier this year in an interview, saying: “Where are you keeping the fountain of youth?”
Although reps for Lopez and Affleck refuse to say if they’re together, Hollywood stars have weighed in. Actor Matt Damon said: “It’s a fascinating story. I love them both. I hope it’s true. That would be
awesome.”