The DIVORCE Is DONE!
Jennifer Garner finally convinces estranged husband Ben Affleck to let her go
As far as supportive exes go, few compare to Jennifer Garner. Since announcing her split from Ben Affleck in 2015, the Peppermint star has joined her estranged husband at church nearly every week, praised his parenting and, this August, fetched him from his house and drove him to rehad for alcohol addiction. “Jen is an angel,” says an Affleck pal. “No one ever told her she needs to stick around to help Ben. But she always has.” In return, she had one request: When he was healthy and sober, let her move on with her life.
He obliged. After Affleck, 46, completed his third rehab stint this fall, Garner, also 46, asked a private judge on Oct. 1 to expedite their divorce settlement. Four days later, the duo — who officially filed in April 2017 — finalized an agreement at her Pacific Palisades home, a source confirms to Us. “It was important to Jen that Ben be in a positive headspace first,” says the insider. “But it was time.” Still, for the sake of kids Violet, 12, Seraphina, 9, and Samuel, 6, she’ll keep a watchful eye on Affleck. “Jen will continue to be there,” says the source. “But she plans to pull back from cleaning up after him all the time.”
LETTING GO
Garner had initially slowed down the proceedings. “She wanted to give Ben time to work on his health,” says a Garner insider. “She was willing to wait for him to prove he was taking sobriety seriously.” But as he lost his grip on his sobriety this summer, Garner was forced to intervene.
“Jen pushed him to get help,” adds the source. “She’s the only one who can get through to him.” With her encouragement, Affleck completed a 40-day inpatient program — and is now publicly vowing to stay clean. “Battling any addiction is a lifelong and difficult struggle,” he wrote on Instagram on Oct. 4. “It is a full-time commitment.”
That pledge was just what Garner needed. “She’s hopeful he’ll continue working on himself and be the best dad he can be to their kids,” says the source. “She’s now ready to move on.” Yes, with a new man. While Affleck heats up with 22-year-old Playboy model Shauna Sexton (see sidebar), Garner “has started dating someone new,” reveals the source. “She’s ready to start the next phase of her life.” But that will always include parenting together with Affleck. “They’re on the same page with giving the kids the best possible life,” says the source. “They want to be the best coparents they can be.”