Jennifer Lopez has opened up on her relationship with Ben Affleck for the first time since the two have rekindled their romance.
The singer and actress and Affleck first dated from mid-2002 to 2004, when they called off their engagement. In July last year, the pair got close again, months after Lopez's split from her fiancé, former baseball star Alex Rodriguez, amidst cheating rumors on his part.
Jennifer Lopez Opened Up On What Destroyed Her Romance With Ben Affleck The First Time
In the March issue of 'Rolling Stone,' Lopez looked back on dating Affleck the first time around. She addressed the breakup which was, much like the entire romance, heavily scrutinized by the public. According to the star, this was the reason their relationship ultimately didn't work out.
"It’s funny because Ben and I were together, and we were so in love," J.Lo said.
"It was one of the happiest times of my life. But also, there was this other thing happening where we were being criticized, and it really destroyed our relationship from the inside out, because we were just too young to understand at that time what were really the most important things in life," she continued.
The pair was first spotted together again in July 2021, 17 years since they last dated. While they were spotted on multiple outings together, it seems as though Lopez and the Boston actor and filmmaker are trying to keep things more private and protect their love story.
Lopez Was Subjected To Racist Abuse When Dating Affleck
The 'Rolling Stone' piece also delves into the racist and sexist abuse Lopez was subjected to when she first started dating Affleck. J.Lo's producing partner Elaine Goldsmith-Thomas explained the singer and actress was on the receiving end of vile media abuse because she is Latina.
"'Maid in Manhattan' was Number One," Goldsmith-Thomas said of Lopez's hit romantic comedy also starring Ralph Fiennes.
"But here’s what the press said: 'Ben Affleck sleeps with the help.' She just didn’t get the credit that other — I don’t know how else to say it — white actresses got. And I know, because I worked with them," she continued.
Nearly two decades later, Lopez is in a better place.
"I try to always live from a place of gratitude," she said in the interview.
"But today, especially, if you ask me what my first thought was, it was, 'Thank you. Thank you, God, for this day. Thank you for my life, what it is.'"
On the big screen, Lopez will next be seen opposite Owen Wilson and Colombian pop star Maluma in romantic comedy 'Marry Me,' out in cinemas on February 11.
