Inside Jennifer Garner's First Marriage to Scott Foley

The actress Jennifer Garner made a name for herself in “Alias” in 2000, the same year she married Scott Foley. But as her career blossomed, Jennifer’s marriage became a casualty of fame.

The pair met on the set of the television series “Felicity,” where Scott appeared as a regular with Keri Russell from 1998 until 2002.

Jennifer guest-starred on the show in 1998, and even though she immediately felt drawn to Scott, Jennifer had no idea that he would become her first husband.

“I was definitely attracted to him at first sight,” she told PEOPLE. “But I didn’t realize I was going to marry him until a while in. It grew really gradually and sweetly – it was a real courtship.”

The couple got married on October 19, 2000, but when Jennifer’s role as J.J. Abrams on “Alias” gained popularity, it soon led to big-time acting success. But her sudden fame threw more at their marriage than it could handle and announced their separation on April 1, 2003.

“Just because you decide it’s best not to be married doesn’t mean you hate each other,” Scott told PEOPLE. “Forget me in the equation. What Jennifer went through [her sudden fame] was a one-in-a-million thing. We were up against pretty insurmountable odds.”

The divorce was hard on Jennifer. She never thought that divorce statistics would apply to her, and when it did, she “was beyond heartbroken.” She later revealed that she wished she waited until her 30s before getting married.

“Everyone reaches maturity at different times. I wish I’d known to wait for marriage until I was 30 or over. I did marry in my twenties, and I found divorce a crushing experience,” she said in 2012.

The couple maintained that sudden fame interfered with their relationship despite rumors that a third person broke up their marriage.

“Nobody else was involved,” Scott said in 2003. “Jennifer became a huge celebrity. She became a huge star, and she deserved everything she got. There was no other relationship; there was no infidelity, nothing. People get divorced, you know? Through no one’s fault and everyone’s fault.”

In the divorce papers Jennifer filed on May 9, 2003, at the Los Angeles Superior Court, she cited irreconcilable differences as the cause but offered no explanation. The only other information it gave pertained to the couple’s date of separation.

Cited as the day of the Oscars on March 23, Jennifer showed up with a female friend to serve as a presenter during the big evening, while Scott never showed up at all.

After their break-up, Jennifer stayed in Los Angeles with their cat, while Scott moved to New York City to do theater with their two dogs.

During an interview in 2013, Jennifer reiterated that no one was to blame for their failed relationship. “We didn't have a shot,” she said. “He's a really good guy, and we just imploded.”

Shortly after the divorce, Jennifer began seeing Michael Vartan, her co-star on “Alias.” However, their short-lived romance ended in 2004. She then started dating Ben Affleck, whom she had met the previous year on the set of “Daredevil,” and married him in June 2005.

Jennifer’s marriage to Ben lasted significantly longer, and the couple had three children, Violet, Seraphina, and Samuel. The pair called it quits in 2015, and since then Jennifer focused her attention on work and kids.

"If the right person came along and fell into her lap, she would be open to it, but that hasn't happened," a source told E! News in March 2018. "She's consumed with her kids and work...and really isn't concerned with having a man in her life."

However, in October 2018, news of Jennifer’s new love interest hit the media. It got reported that she had discreetly been dating the businessman, John Miller for six months.