Hollywood actress Jennifer Garner has opened up candidly about her separation from former husband Ben Affleck, sharing that the most difficult part was the loss of a family unit and a true partnership.
Speaking to Marie Claire UK about her life now and the upcoming second season of her drama “The Last Thing He Told Me”, the 53-year-old actress reflected on the emotional toll of their separation in 2015.
“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,” Garner said. “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.”
Following her highly publicised breakup with Affleck, with whom she shares three children — Violet Anne, Seraphina Rose, and Samuel — Garner said she leaned heavily on her community for support. “I made a big, concerted effort to see my people as much as I can, because that’s what matters,” she shared.
She added that resilience often comes from relationships. “That’s where your resilience is: it’s in your relationships and in the people who carry you through,” Garner said.
The former couple separated in 2015 after 10 years of marriage and finalised their divorce three years later.
Garner also spoke about her current priorities, which include advocacy work with Save the Children US and Once Upon a Farm, along with focusing on her children. “They’re just so cool!” she said of Violet Anne (20), Seraphina Rose (17), and Samuel (13).
Reflecting on parenting as her children grow older, Garner 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.”
The actress, who is currently dating businessman John Miller, also described co-parenting with Affleck amid ongoing public attention as challenging. “It’s been the hardest thing — not hard in the grand scheme of what is hard in the world, but tricky for me and tricky for my family,” she said.
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