Ben Affleck Returned J Lo's 'Happiest Times' after Love Fails & Proposed with Bigger Ring than in 2002

After being one of Hollywood's favorite couples in the early 2000s, Jennifer Lopez and Ben Affleck's relationship ended. However, the couple rekindled their romance and will soon tie the knot. Inside the couple's big announcement

In recent times, American Singer and Actress Jennifer Lopez and her boyfriend Ben Affleck have been a constant topic of discussion.

Despite being a couple in the early 2000s and breaking things off, the pair have managed to fix their relationship and are heading to a lifetime of bliss together.

The movie stars' first met in 2001 on the set of the movie "Gigli." At the time, Lopez was still married to her second husband, Cris Judd, but it did not stop the actress and Affleck from falling in love.

Two years after their first meeting, Lopez and Judd called it quits, and the former went public with her relationship with Affleck. Speaking of her first encounter with Affleck and their relationship, Lopez revealed:

"I felt like… 'Okay, this is it.' But sometimes, I feel like what you think people are and how you see them when you love them is different than when they reveal later."

DETAILS OF THEIR FIRST RELATIONSHIP/ENGAGEMENT

In July 2002, a year after Lopez and Affleck met, the actress filed for divorce from Cris Judd. According to the divorce documents, Lopez cited irreconcilable differences as the cause of their split.

A few days later, the singer and Affleck were spotted at a birthday party cuddling and locking lips. Rumors had it that the pair had been dating even before Lopez and Judd separated. However, the actor denied the rumors.

According to him, dating a married woman went against the fundamental code that he believed in and lived by. The rumors did not stop Affleck and Lopez's relationship from progressing. The pair continued dating, and on July 10, 2003, they got engaged.

That day, the actress visited her boyfriend's family in Boston. Affleck had told Lopez it would be a relaxed occasion, but she was surprised when she arrived at the location and opened the door. There was a blanket, quilt, and rose petals all over the house.

Affleck proceeded to read a love note for his girlfriend, and at the end of the letter was the question, "Will you marry me?" He proposed with a beautiful pink diamond ring, and the actress could not turn down his proposal. It was a lovely moment.

INSIDE THEIR WEDDING PLANS/BREAKUP

After the engagement, Affleck and Lopez began the wedding preparations. They had a date fixed but decided to keep it a secret. The actress also spoke about her wedding dress and how she wanted a lovely occasion, irrespective of the significant paparazzi presence.

Overall, the pair counted down to the day they would marry. Affleck confessed that Lopez was a wonderful woman, and spending time with her made him a better person.

For the actor, being with his woman was better than being without her, hence the excitement to get married. Being celebrities with a wedding around the corner, Affleck and Lopez were constantly in the tabloids.

The pressures they received from the paparazzi and public were exhausting. Speaking of the experience, Lopez admitted:

"It was just crazy. Now at least I can show you who I am a little bit. Back then, you just believed anything you read on the cover of a tabloid. Many times it wasn't true, or it was like a third of the truth."

Due to the excessive attention from the media, Affleck and Lopez postponed their wedding. Sadly, the lovebirds never got to walk down the aisle, as their relationship ended in 2004. "I think different times different thing, who knows what could've happened, but there was a genuine love there," Lopez said.

AFFLECK AND LOPEZ RELATIONSHIPS AFTER THEIR SPLIT

About a week after Affleck and Lopez broke up, the latter got together with Marc Anthony. In her book titled "True Love," Lopez explained that the split broke her heart, and rather than turn to drugs or alcohol, she sought comfort in another person — Marc Anthony.

The singer and Anthony first met in 1998, and at the time, Lopez predicted that someday, they would get married. Indeed, the prediction came to pass. The pair tied the knot on June 5, 2004, at Lopez's Beverly Hills Home.

The ex-couple seemed like the perfect duo. Lopez and Anthony always appeared to be affectionate towards one another, on and off the red carpet and worked on different projects together.

On November 7, 2007, they shocked the world by announcing that they were expecting twins at Miami's American Airlines Arena. On February 22, 2008, they welcomed their twin babies, Max and Emme.

Unfortunately, their union was destined to crumble. After being married for seven years, the former couple divorced in 2011. For Lopez, divorce is a painful process but going through it in the public eye makes it even more painful.

After the divorce, Lopez, and Anthony maintained a good relationship like "Sonny and Cher." While the actress went through a failed marriage, Affleck's life was not any different. In August 2004, months after his split from Lopez, the actor started dating his co-star, Jennifer Garner.

They kept their relationship away from the spotlight and occasionally made appearances together. However, a friend described them as lovey-dovey high school sweethearts. In April 2005, Affleck and Garner got engaged.

The pair tied the knot later that year in a ceremony officiated by Garner's close friend, Victor Garber. A few years later, they were already parents to three kids.

Their first child and daughter, Violet, was born in December 2005. Affleck and Garner's second child, Seraphina, arrived in April 2009, and the third child, Samuel, was born in February 2012.

The family of five was simply perfect. Affleck had Garner by his side to help him be the best dad. He told People that his wife was the most important person to him.

Sadly, it was only a matter of time before their union started crumbling. In June 2015, Affleck was alleged to have had an affair with Christine Ouzuonian, his family's nanny.

He reportedly flew the woman to Las Vegas. Even though a source claimed it was business and the woman was in Las Vegas with the rest of Affleck's staff, it greatly affected the actor's marriage.

Later that month, after ten years of marriage, he and Garner announced that they were getting a divorce. The divorce was finalized three years later, in October 2018.

Speaking about the marriage and split, Garner said the union was confirmed. She also noted that they had been separated before the news of Affleck's alleged affair with the nanny. In her words:

"We had been separated for months before I ever heard about the nanny. She had nothing to do with our decision to divorce. She was not a part of the equation."

According to Garner, Affleck was the love of her life, but he was complicated. In March 2017, almost a year after their big announcement, the actor revealed he was being treated for alcohol addiction.He said he had dealt with alcohol addiction in the past and was not ashamed of getting help. In his words:

"I have certainly done things that I regret. But you've got to pick yourself up, learn from it, learn some more, try to move forward."

The actor would eventually reveal that he started drinking because he felt "trapped" in his marriage to Garner. Affleck explained that had he not called it quits with her, he would not have become sober.

AFFLECK AND LOPEZ OTHER RELATIONSHIPS

After Lopez and Affleck ended their marriages with Anthony and Garner, they found love again. For the actress, it was with Alex Rodriguez.

The pair first met in 2005 at a New York Yankee game. At the time, Lopez was still married to Anthony, so the duo only exchanged pleasantries and moved on.

In early 2017, they ran into each other, a meeting that led to a romance confirmed in March of that same year. In March 2019, Rodriguez proposed to Lopez in the Bahamas with an emerald-cut diamond ring.

Sadly, the pair never got married. They called it quits in April 2021. In a joint statement, they revealed that they were better off as friends and would continue to work on projects together.

On the other hand, Affleck found love in the arms of Ana De Armas. The pair started dating in early March 2020, but their relationship was short-lived. After being in different phases of life and having numerous discussions, they decided to break up over the phone in 2021.

AFFLECK AND LOPEZ GIVE LOVE A SECOND CHANCE

A few days after Lopez's split from Rodriguez, she was spotted many times with Affleck, hanging out in Los Angeles. Rumors of a relationship began making the rounds, but only in May 2021 did they confirm their romance.

The pair spent a lot of time together visiting different places, including Miami. They were spotted kissing and cuddling at various locations, and fans were thrilled to have "Bennifer" back in the headlines.

Affleck and Lopez made their first public appearance together at the 2021 Met Gala event. Since rekindling their romance, Lopez had reflected on her relationship with Affleck. She once revealed:

"It's funny because Ben and I were together, and we were so in love. 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 added.

AFFLECK AND LOPEZ ARE ENGAGED

On April 8, 2022, Lopez took to her social media handles to share the news of her engagement. She also posted a clip of her reaction to the proposal on the onthejlo.com website.

In the video, Lopez could be seen admiring the ring and whispering, "You are perfect." The lovely jewelry featured two smaller diamonds on each side of a large green diamond in the middle.

It was more elegant and beautiful than the 6.1-carat pink diamond ring Affleck proposed with in 2002. Since sharing the news, fans, friends, and celebrities have dropped congratulatory messages. They anticipate the big day and hope it will happen, unlike their first relationship.