3 min readNew DelhiMay 11, 2021 01:56 PM IST
First published on: May 11, 2021 at 01:20 PM IST
Weeks after confirming her split with Alex Rodriguez, Jennifer Lopez is rumoured to be dating her former fiancé Ben Affleck. A report in People, while confirming it, added they are reportedly spending a lot of time together and were spotted in Montana, making paparazzi go overdrive. While the veracity of the news still sustains on ‘sources’, here’s a timeline of one of the most powerful couples of all times, deftly christened by their fans as ‘Bennifer’.
It all started in 2002 when Lopez and Affleck met on the sets of Gigli, a romantic comedy. Back then, the singer was still married to Cris Judd, her second husband. Although rumours about Lopez and Affleck being together started brewing then, the couple went public only after Lopez’s divorce from Judd.
Speaking of her first encounter with the Goodwill Hunting actor, Lopez had told People, “I felt like … ‘Okay, this is it”.
Over the years, their relationship was documented and dissected by tabloids with unheard investment.
Later in 2002, she would confirm her engagement to Affleck, making the revelation during her interview with Diane Sawyer. During the interview, when asked what was different this time, the singer replied, “I was more scared”, adding: “I want to be married in a church this time”.
Things, however, changed. The excessive invasion of their privacy started taking a toll on their relationship, making them postpone their wedding, scheduled for September 2003. “Due to the excessive media attention surrounding our wedding, we have decided to postpone the date,” the couple had said in a joint statement to the press.
“When we found ourselves seriously contemplating hiring three separate ‘decoy brides’ at three different locations, we realized that something was awry…We began to feel that the spirit of what should have been the happiest day of our lives could be compromised…We felt what should have been a joyful and sacred day could be spoiled for us, our families and our friends,” the statement said.
Even though the deferring of the wedding date met with some doubts regarding their relationship, they reported nothing amiss. In January 2004, however, they finally split. In a report in Irish Examiner, Affleck was quoted as citing their “accessibility” to a reason for their parting. “I think Jen and I made a mistake in that we fell in love, we were excited and maybe too accessible. I don’t think either of us anticipated the degree to which it would take on a world of its own.”
Even though their relationship was short-lived, both continued to remain in touch, often speaking of their time together. In a report in Today, she referred to the breakup as “probably my first big heartbreak”. She got married to Marc Anthony in 2004, which lasted till 2014, and he to Jennifer Garner in 2005. Garner and Affleck divorced in 2018.
Ben Affleck and Jennifer Lopez had called off their wedding in 2003. (Photo: Jennifer Lopez, Ben Affleck/Instagram) 
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