![Marc Anthony and Jennifer Lopez walk together outside. He wears a gray coat with a gray scarf. She wears a brown and white coat.](https://www.cheatsheet.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/Marc-Anthony-Jennifer-Lopez-2.webp)
Marc Anthony Said the Opening Line He Used on Jennifer Lopez Was Embarrassingly Bad
Years before they began a romantic relationship, Marc Anthony knew Jennifer Lopez was the one for him. He even told her this when they first met, startling a response out of her. Anthony shared why he felt embarrassed by the way he acted around Lopez when they met.
Marc Anthony cringed at the opening line he used on Jennifer Lopez
In 1998, Lopez and Anthony met backstage at the Broadway production of The Capeman. Lopez was a fan of Anthony’s work and wanted to see him after his performance in the show. When Anthony saw her, he said he used an opening line that still made him cringe years later.
“I had never met her,” he told Vanity Fair in 2011. “I’d heard she was a fan of mine, and she walked into my dressing room and I said the worst opening line ever. I don’t know what the hell came over me, but I said, ‘You’re my wife and you don’t even know it.’”
![Jennifer Lopez and Marc Anthony kiss. She holds a microphone in the same hand that touches his cheek.](https://www.cheatsheet.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/Jennifer-Lopez-Marc-Anthony.webp?strip=all&quality=80)
His brashness surprised Lopez, and Anthony immediately apologized.
“And she said, ‘Excuse me?’” Anthony recalled. “And I’m like, ‘I’m so sorry, I don’t know where the f*** that came from.’”
Six years later, Anthony and Lopez married in a quiet ceremony in Los Angeles.
She said men often pursued her
According to Lopez, Anthony’s response to her was relatively typical. Most of the men in her life pursued her relentlessly.
“[They] pursued me in such a voracious way that I think, Oh my God, nobody has ever loved me like this,” she said. “That’s how hard they go.”
Sean “Diddy” Combs told Lopez he loved her very soon after they met, and Ben Affleck wrote her love letters to win her over.
Jennifer Lopez said she would always respect Marc Anthony after their split
In 2011, Lopez and Anthony announced their intention to divorce after seven years of marriage. She said that it was not an easy decision for her even though she knew it was the right move.
“This was the hardest decision I’ve ever had to face,” she said. “I really wanted this family to work. That was my biggest dream, and I worked hard at it. We both did. Sometimes it doesn’t work — and that’s sad.”
![Jennifer Lopez and Marc Anthony hold hands and wave to a crowd while onstage.](https://www.cheatsheet.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/JLo-Marc-Anthony.webp?strip=all&quality=80)
While she knew that Anthony was not the right partner for her, she said she would always respect him.
“I will always respect Marc as a singer and performer,” she said. “We actually work great together, and he was always very supportive. Together we could make magic — and we did. He will always be in our lives. He will always hold a special place in my heart as the father of my children. And out of respect for our family, I will keep private the details of our personal life.”
She said that though the split was painful, she wanted to move forward with optimism about her future as a mother and performer.