Ben & Jen: ‘He’s run out of chances’
IN THE 15 MONTHS since they announced their plans to divorce, friends of Jennifer Garner and Ben Affleck have grown increasingly convinced that a reconciliation is on the cards. The pair have continued to live together and, as recently as June, Ben was still referring to Jen as ‘my wife’, while she had described him in a magazine interview as ‘the love of my life’.
Now sources tell Grazia that Jen has finally ruled out any reunion. According to one, ‘In recent months, Jen has become concerned that Ben has been gambling, drinking and God knows what else again. She really cares about him, and knows he’s been trying to make things work, but she can’t risk having her heart broken again. She’s made it clear to him that he has run out of chances.’
Ben’s dishevelled appearance at a series of recent public events has sparked concern that the actor, who has battled alcohol addiction, may have gone off the rails. Fears for the couple were bolstered by pictures appearing to show Jen in tears as they left their children’s karate class.
The source continued, ‘Seeing the pictures of Ben at the Suicide Squad after-party with his zipper down was a wake-up call for Jen. She wanted to make things work, but married life was a roller coaster and, at this point, she’s exhausted. Now she wants to focus on being the best co-parents they can be and accept that they’re never going to make it work romantically.’
Speaking about their marriage in February, Jen described Ben as ‘the most brilliant person in any room, the most charismatic, the most generous’. But she added, ‘He’s just a complicated guy. I always say, “When his sun shines on you, you feel it.” But when the sun’s shining elsewhere, it’s cold. He can cast quite a shadow.’