Jennifer Lopez Reveals Real Reason For Ben Affleck Split In 2003

It's the Hollywood love story no one expected. Prior to rekindling their relationship in 2021 and tying the knot a year later --- Jennifer Lopez and Ben Affleck first started dating in 2002. The pair even got engaged. They were the 'It' couple of the 2000's known as "Bennifer", covering countless magazines and constantly under media scrutiny. It eventually led Lopez and Affleck to call off their wedding which was set to take place on September, 14 2003. In Lopez's recent profile with Variety ahead of her musical cinematic experience, This Is Me... Now: A Love Story, Lopez reflects on what happened the first time around. "Our relationship crumbled under the weight of the pressure," the Can't Get Enough singer tells the publication. "We lost a sense of ourselves, and we needed to separate because we didn't know how to survive it. I had to figure myself out, and he had to figure himself out." At the time, Bennifer released a joint statement saying, "Due to the excessive media attention surrounding our wedding, we have decided to postpone the date." They revealed a turning point was when they found themselves, "contemplating hiring three separate 'decoy brides' at three different locations." "We felt what should have been a joyful and sacred day could be spoiled for us, our families and our friends," they continued at the time. However, as we know now, the pair got their fairytale ending, albeit 20 years later. Lopez and her 51-year-old husband have also blended their families, as they both moved on with separate people after their split. Lopez is mom to 15-year-old twins Max and Emme, whom she shares with ex-husband Marc Anthony. Meanwhile, Affleck has three children --- Violet, 18, Seraphina, 15, and Samuel, 11 --- with ex-wife Jennifer Garner.