Despite filing for divorce back in 2018, Ben Affleck and Jennifer Garner have managed to maintain a strong relationship when it comes to co-parenting their three children, Violet, Finn, and Samuel.
The former couple have been plagued by reports surrounding the status of their relationship since they announced their split in 2015. However, the Gone Girl actor has now given an eye-opening insight into his bond with his ex-wife. While gracing the cover of GQ's April/May issue with an exclusive interview, Ben discussed the highs and lows of his decades-long career, his stance on co-parenting, and the upcoming premiere of The Accountant 2.
© Alberto E. RodriguezThe 52-year-old shared that he is really "lucky" to have a "partner" in the "wonderful"Jennifer Garner. The star also revealed how they’ve handled the gossip surrounding their relationship, especially when it comes to addressing questions from their children. "We used to have a thing, my ex-wife [Jennifer Garner] and I, when they would see something on a supermarket stand," he said.
"We would say, well, ‘You know this isn’t always true because if it were, you would have 15 brothers or sisters or whatever the number of stories is where they said that your mom was pregnant'."
© Getty ImagesBen added: "And I’m really lucky that I have a really good co-parent and partner in Jennifer Garner, the kids’ mom, who’s wonderful and great and we work together well."
This isn't the first time the Good Will Hunting star has spoken highly of his ex-wife. A year after their split, Ben said: "She's just a fabulous person. She's a great mother. She's a real talent … She's somebody that I admire and respect and remain excellent friends with."
And it seems the feeling is mutual as the 13 Going on 30 actress previously called Ben "the love of" her "life" in an interview with Vanity Fair. "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," she admitted.
© BACKGRIDBen's positive remarks about Jennifer come as no surprise considering he has openly expressed regret over the end of their relationship in the past. "The biggest regret of my life is this divorce," Ben told the New York Times in 2018.
During his new interview with GQ, the actor also addressed his divorce from Jennifer Lopez. The former couple rekindled their romance in 2021 and tied the knot in July 2022 with an intimate ceremony in Las Vegas. Ben and Jennifer were joined by their friends and family for a larger wedding in Georgia two months later.
However, the relationship was short-lived as Jennifer filed for divorce exactly two years after the second ceremony. The star cited irreconcilable differences as the reason for their split.
© Getty ImagesBen opened up about the pairs' contrasting temperaments as he discussed his appearance in the singer's 2024 documentary, The Greatest Love Story Never Told. "My temperament is to be a little bit more reserved than hers. As it happens in relationships, you don’t always have the same attitude towards these things," he shared.
"I think the thing that I said in that documentary or the piece that they used was where I said, You don’t marry a ship's captain and then say, 'Well, I don’t like going out in the water'. You’ve got to own what you knew going into any relationship."
See the full feature in the April/ May issue of British GQ, available via digital download and on newsstands from Tuesday 8th April.
