Sizzling romance
Jen’s in love with a fast-food king
After 13 years of marriage, three kids and a drawn-out divorce, Jennifer Garner wasn’t looking to start dating again. In her eyes, romance had simply lost its charm. “Men don’t call any more,” she once noted. “I want flowers. I don’t want to text. What does that make me? What kind of dinosaur am I?”
It turns out her belief in love is far from extinct! Jennifer, 46, who finalised her divorce from Ben Affleck in early October, has been secretly dating John Miller, a 40-yearold CEO. “They’ve been together for six months,” an insider reveals to
Woman’sDay. “It’s getting serious.” Protective parent Jennifer has even felt comfortable enough to introduce John to her three kids, Violet, 12, Seraphina, nine, and Samuel, six. And although John – who has a 12-year-old son and a 10-year-old daughter from a previous relationship – isn’t part of the celebrity world, “they’re at similar places in their lives and are about the same age”, explains a source close to the Alias star. “Jen’s very happy with where their relationship’s going.”
After her 2015 split from Ben, 46, Jennifer kept her focus on her kids. “She always makes sure they come first,” a friend of the actress said at the time. It was this devotion to her family that brought Jennifer and John, the owner of fast-food chain CaliBurger, together. They “met through her group of friends”, reports our source, adding, “It’s a nice change of pace that he’s not an actor or even well known.”
Jennifer has been determined to keep her romance with John out of the spotlight. Despite several visits
to one of his restaurants, the Golden Globe winner “wants to keep their relationship low-key and private while she gets to know him”, notes our source.
“John’s been very discreet,” the insider tells us, adding, “He’s totally into her.”
And the feeling is mutual. “They’re exclusive. She’s seeing him and only him,” our source confirms.
Onelittlehitch
For John, there’s just one small thing standing in the way of his happy-ever-after with Jennifer. Technically, he’s a married man. While he and concert violinist Caroline Campbell split in 2014 after nine years of marriage, the parents-of-two aren’t yet officially divorced.
It’s a lengthy process that Jennifer most certainly understands – although she announced her split from Ben in 2015, she waited until the JusticeLeague actor had completed mpleted a 40-day inpatient programme for alcohol addiction before finally signing their divorce papers a month ago.
“Jen’s hopeful Ben will continue working on himself and be the best dad he can be to their kids,” says our insider. “She’s now ready for the next phase of her life.”
Yet regardless of her relationship status, Jennifer’s top priority y will always y be
her family and co-parenting with Ben is so much easier.
“They’re on the same page about giving the kids the best life possible,” reports the source.
Still, after backing away from the spotlight, the actress has eagerly thrown herself into acting again this year, starring in Love,Simon,
Peppermint and, most recently, Lena Dunham’s new comedy series Camping.
“She’s very happy and in a good place,” says our source. “You rarely see her without a smile on her face.” Chalk it up to her unwavering positivity – and her hot new romance.
“John is super-smart and hardworking,” tells the source. “He’s not into fancy things, just his family and work. He’s the happiest he’s probably ever been. Their relationship is loving g and healthy.”