LOS ANGELES, Calif. — Actress Jennifer Garner has spoken openly about her divorce from Ben Affleck, saying the most difficult part was not public scrutiny but the loss of a family unit and a true partnership.
In an interview with Marie Claire UK, the 53-year-old actress reflected on her separation from Affleck in 2015, describing the emotional toll of ending their marriage after a decade together.
“You have to be smart about what you can and can’t handle, and I could not handle what was out there. 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,” Garner said.
Following the highly publicized split, Garner said she leaned heavily on her personal community, making a conscious effort to stay connected with friends and loved ones.
“I made a big, concerted effort to see my people as much as I can, because that’s what matters,” she said, adding, “That’s where your resilience is: it’s in your relationships and in the people who carry you through.”
Garner and Affleck, who share three children — Violet Anne, Seraphina Rose, and Samuel — announced their separation in 2015 and finalized their divorce three years later.
She also spoke about her current priorities, which include advocacy work with Save the Children US and Once Upon a Farm, along with raising her children.
“They’re just so cool!” Garner said of Violet Anne, 20, Seraphina Rose, 17, and Samuel, 13.
Reflecting on parenting older children, she said, “Parenting now has shifted. It’s more about parenting with a button on my mouth…. You have to let them grow up and make their choices. You don’t get to control it.”
Garner, who is dating businessman John Miller, also addressed the challenges of co-parenting with Affleck under constant public attention.
“It’s been the hardest thing,” she said. “Not hard in the grand scheme of what is hard in the world, but tricky for me and tricky for my family.”
The actress is currently preparing for the second season of her drama series “The Last Thing He Told Me.” (Source: IANS)
