Bring on the rumours of Bennifer, the repeat
WAIT, IS CHRISTINA AGUILERA grinding in leather chaps on TV? Have Justin and Britney just broken up? Apparently not. So why am I experiencing a flashback of iconic early-noughties couple Jennifer Lopez and Ben Affleck holding hands near a private jet?
It’s been a disorientating few weeks for anyone old enough to remember Bennifer. Back in 2002, Jen and Ben were our very first A-list portmanteau couple – long before we dreamt of Brangelina or Kimye.
For a while, they were the most famous lovers in the world. We watched them cavort on a yacht in J-lo’s Jenny From The Block video (at one point, Ben actually kisses her famous backside). We were dazzled by the $2.5 million pink diamond engagement ring he gave her – and we cringed as they starred together in the comedy Gigli, one of the most expensive box-office flops of all time.
Finally, in 2003 we read with dismay that they’d cancelled their wedding because of the strain of public attention. ‘When we found ourselves seriously contemplating hiring three separate decoy brides at three different locations, we realised that something was awry,’ they said in a statement.
The couple split a few months later, with J-LO marrying Marc Anthony in 2004, and Ben following suit with Jennifer Garner in 2005. And that, we assumed, was the end of that – until now. Because a couple of relationships down the line (she’s recently split from baseball legend Alex Rodriguez, and he from actor Ana de Armas), Bennifer seems to have been reborn.
First, he was seen several times at her LA home. Then they spent a week together at his house in Montana; they were photographed driving around and later holding hands as they disembarked a private jet in LA (how very Bennifer of them).
Maybe we should have seen it coming, because they were publicly flirting just a few months ago. When asked for a comment about J-LO for a magazine profile, Ben offered, ‘Where are you keeping the fountain of youth? Why do you look the same as you did in 2003 and it kind of looks like I’m in my forties… at best?’ In reply, she told the interviewer, ‘Ben is funny! He still looks pretty good too.’
So could it last this time? We’re not the only ones rooting for them: Ben’s longtime friend Matt Damon told press, ‘I hope it’s true. That would be awesome.’ At 51, Jen seems hotter and happier than ever, and while the 48-year-old has described his divorce from Jennifer Garner as ‘the biggest regret of my life’, it was in his J-LO days that he seemed to be having the most fun.
They were a flashy, sexy couple; now, they have the added benefit of almost two more decades of life experience. Perhaps part of being older and wiser will be resisting the urge, this time, to share their chemistry with the world, because judging from the excitement online, the public is as fascinated by Bennifer now as we ever were. Congratulations, Jen and Ben – just don’t start planning a movie.