Jennifer Garner Described Ben Affleck as the Love of Her Life Shortly After Their Split
When Ben Affleck and Jennifer Garner decided to divorce, she said she knew she wanted to maintain a friendship with him. The couple shared three children together and wanted to be cordial for their sake. Garner also said that even after their split, she considered Affleck the love of her life.
Jennifer Garner said Ben Affleck was the love of her life
Garner’s Alias co-star Victor Garber officiated her 2005 wedding to Affleck. He said that the wedding was a beautiful moment and believed there would always be love between Garner and Affleck, even after their marriage ended.
“That experience was one of the greatest we’ve ever had,” he told Vanity Fair. “As difficult as this time is, as sad as this time is, I think there is a great love between them, and that will always be there.”
Garner agreed with Garber. She said she still thought of him as the love of her life.
“I didn’t marry the big fat movie star; I married him,” she said. “And I would go back and remake that decision. I ran down the beach to him, and I would again. You can’t have these three babies and so much of what we had. He’s the love of my life. What am I going to do about that?”
She added that she still had a great deal of admiration for her.
“He’s the most brilliant person in any room, the most charismatic, the most generous,” she said. “He’s just a complicated guy. I always say, ‘When his sun shines on you, you feel it.’ But when the sun is shining elsewhere, it’s cold. He can cast quite a shadow.”
She shared how she got through her first divorce
Before Garner married Affleck, she was with Scott Foley. The couple divorced in 2004.
“I had a lot of growing up to do,” Garner told Parade. “I’m still conflict-averse. I don’t like to argue. But back then I couldn’t have a fight. I couldn’t work things out because I wasn’t able to say what I needed to say. I didn’t have a voice. I didn’t dare to express myself. It was a huge heartbreak for me to have something fail like that. I knew that this was either an opportunity for growth or I would sink.”
She said she took time to self-reflect and grow.
“It’s not like I didn’t realize I had any issues until I got a divorce,” she said. “But I had this professional confidence that wasn’t equaled by my own personal confidence in any relationship, not just with men. There was a disconnect. I realized I needed to be more like my character in Alias, who was so powerful and confident and an inspiration to me. I understood very well how to be nice and how to take care of people. I didn’t know how to ask for anything that I needed. It was important to balance it out.”
Jennifer Garner spoke about her relationship with Ben Affleck while they were married
While speaking about her marriage in 2010, Garner said she had a lot of fun with Affleck.
“Ben is sexy and kind, but he’s also a riot,” she said. “We can be very goofy together.”
She said that they still tried to find time to be romantic together while raising a family.
“You steal the time,” she said. “You steal a date, you steal a kiss, you steal a whisper. You sit next to each other on the couch with computers on your laps. After the kids are asleep you…well, you know. Whatever it is. You slip away for a night, which we’ve only just now done for the first time. Of course, I call home while we’re away. Ben would be surprised if I didn’t.”
