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Jennifer Lopez and Alex Rodriguez’s relationship did not last, but they spoke glowingly about each other while they were together. They became engaged in 2019 and spoke about their desire to maintain a friendly relationship after they split in 2021. Lopez said that there was a great deal about Rodriguez that she admired. She shared what she found most impressive about him.

Jennifer Lopez revealed what she admired most about Alex Rodriguez

In 2014, the Yankees suspended Rodriguez for an entire season due to his use of performance-enhancing drugs. For a time, he believed his baseball career was over. He came back for another season, though, for which he said he was immensely proud of himself.

“The work I did, that was one of the most painful and most rewarding experiences of my life, and it continues to this day,” he told Vanity Fair. “I tell myself, ‘I’m rounding first base and going to second base. It’s a process.’”

Jennifer Lopez and Alex Rodriguez sit together. She wears a patterned shirt and gold necklace and he wears a black shirt.
Jennifer Lopez and Alex Rodriguez | Andrew Toth/Getty Images for TAO Group

Lopez said Rodriguez’s ability to pick himself up and keep moving forward was what impressed her most about him. 

“The most impressive thing to me was how he did pick himself up and take that opportunity to make himself a better person,” she said. “The hardest times prove who you are. That’s what I love and admire the most about Alex. He doesn’t let anything beat him. He just comes back stronger.”

Alex Rodriguez said Jennifer Lopez’s work ethic greatly impressed him

Part of what brought Lopez and Rodriguez together were their relentless work ethics.

“We’re both like this,” Lopez said. “We put so much pressure on ourselves to be great, to be the best all the time. We understood that about each other. When we came together it was ‘Oh my God, I was the same way.’”

Rodriguez recalled watching Lopez prepare for a concert. Her drive for perfection bowled him over.

“I watched her singing and dancing and practicing until one in the morning the other night,” he said. “She kept saying, ‘Let’s run through it again.’ I think I heard her say that 45 times. Her thirst for perfection is just awesome to watch.”

He felt like he was ‘living the dream’ with her

Rodriguez said his life with Lopez felt close to perfection. The couple recalled a time he sat on the patio with a book while Lopez sat in the bath.

“I came out and said, ‘What are you doing out here?’” Lopez said. “He said, ‘Living the dream.’”

Jennifer Lopez and Alex Rodriguez stand in front of a blue background. She wears a strapless dress in a floral pattern and he wears a suit.
Jennifer Lopez and Alex Rodriguez | Jerod Harris/FilmMagic
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She said that it meant a lot to her that he seemed to appreciate the small things. He valued his family and relationship with her.

“I thought, Wow, this person is different,” Lopez said. “Because a lot of people I’ve met in my life, they don’t appreciate what they’re doing and how amazing it is … not the greatness of the house, but the moment of sitting there with someone you love, with a family, with healthy kids.”