Jennifer Garner is pulling back the curtain on one of the most painful chapters of her life — and she’s not sugar-coating it.
In a rare and deeply personal reflection, the actress has spoken candidly about the breakdown of her marriage to Ben Affleck, admitting that the public nature of their split became overwhelming as their family fell apart.
The Golden Globe winner revisited the highly publicised divorce in an interview with Marie Claire UK, offering fresh insight into what truly made the end of the relationship so difficult — and it wasn’t just the headlines.
Jennifer Garner on the hardest part of her Ben Affleck split
“You have to be smart about what you can and can’t handle, and I could not handle what was out there,” Jennifer told the magazine.
“But what was out there, was not what was hard. The fact of it is what was hard. The actual breaking up of a family is what was hard. Losing a true partnership and friendship is what was hard.”
Jennifer and Ben were married from 2005 until their separation in 2015, later finalising their divorce in 2018. During their decade-long relationship, they welcomed three children together — Violet, Seraphina and Samuel — and were often portrayed as one of Hollywood’s most stable couples before the split.
Ben Affleck’s regret over the divorce
Ben has previously spoken openly about his feelings surrounding the end of the marriage, describing it as one of the greatest regrets of his life.
“The biggest regret of my life is this divorce,” the Argo director told The New York Times in 2020. “Shame is really toxic. There is no positive byproduct of shame. It’s just stewing in a toxic, hideous feeling of low self-worth and self-loathing.”
Jennifer’s comments align with what both have expressed over the years — that despite public scrutiny, the emotional toll was rooted in the loss of family unity and partnership rather than scandal.
Life after divorce for Jennifer Garner and Ben Affleck
Before her marriage to Ben, Jennifer was previously married to actor Scott Foley, with the pair divorcing in 2004.
Ben, meanwhile, reunited with former fiancée, Jennifer Lopez and married her in 2022. Their relationship later came to an end, with the couple finalising their divorce in January 2025. Addressing speculation, Ben has insisted there was no dramatic fallout.
YOU MAY ALSO LIKE: Karen Carney Makes History As First Footballer To Win Strictly Come Dancing Glitterball
“There’s no scandal, no soap opera, no intrigue. The truth is, when you talk to somebody, ‘Hey, what happened?’ Well, there is no, ‘This is what happened,’” he told GQ last year.
“It’s just a story about people trying to figure out their lives and relationships in ways that we all sort of normally do.”
For More, Follow SurgeZirc UK On Facebook, X, Instagram, and Bluesky
