BEN’S PUBLIC APOLOGY TO JEN
Two years after divorcing Jennifer Garner at the depths of his battle with the booze, Ben Affleck has revealed in a candid interview that his biggest regret is losing his wife.
And now, insiders tell Woman’s Day that he’s told friends he wants 47-year-old Jen – the mother of their three children – back.
“Ben hit rock bottom when their marriage hit troubled waters, and he turned to drinking, which was the death knell,” says a source. “But he’s put the work in, and Jen has been supportive and seen how far he’s come. Ben is hopeful she will be able to find it within herself to give it another shot.”
Ben, also 47, who has been in rehab several times, says,
“The biggest regret of my life is this divorce. Shame is really toxic. There is no positive byproduct of shame... People with compulsive behaviour, and I am one, have this kind of basic discomfort they’re trying to make go away.
“You’re trying to make yourself feel better with eating or drinking or sex or gambling or shopping or whatever. But that ends up making it worse.”
Adds a friend, “I think Jen would consider taking him back.
“She never stopped loving him – though I’m sure he would need to commit to therapy for his compulsions for the rest of their lives together.”