Jennifer Garner opens up about split from Ben Affleck: 'Losing a true partnership was hard'

Dubai: Jennifer Garner has opened up about her divorce from Ben Affleck, admitting that whilst the breakup was difficult, time has helped them rebuild their friendship for the sake of their children.

The actress, who was married to Affleck for 13 years before their split in 2015, sat down with Marie Claire UK to discuss co-parenting, moving forward, and why she chose to step back from Hollywood during her children's early years.

The reality of their split

Garner spoke candidly about the challenges of her divorce, noting that while media attention and public scrutiny were difficult, they weren’t what hurt the most.

"You have to be smart about what you can and can't handle, and I could not handle what was out there," she confessed, referring to the very public nature of their separation. "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."

Those words paint a picture of someone who genuinely valued what she had with Affleck beyond just a romantic relationship. The loss of that partnership, that daily connection with someone who knew her completely, was the real pain point.

Finding their way back to friendship

What's perhaps most remarkable about Garner's story is how she and Affleck managed to rebuild their relationship into something workable and even warm. They continue to co-parent their three children, Violet, Fin, and Samuel, with what appears to be genuine care and respect.

"I'm able to co-parent at this point in time with peace and equanimity and a partnership that I didn't know I would ever get back to," Garner explained. "I think it's important for women to know, when they think, 'Oh, I'll never see that, I'll never have that feeling, I'll never be friends with this person again,' time is the opportunity. Time is the opportunity to heal. Time is the opportunity to forgive, to move on and to find a new way to be friends."

That message about time being the key to healing feels particularly important. Garner isn't suggesting everything magically fixed itself. She's saying that with enough time and effort, relationships can transform into something different but still valuable.

Supporting each other through new relationships

The co-parenting arrangement between Garner and Affleck has survived some interesting tests. Garner has been in a relationship with businessman John C Miller, though she remained cryptic about that connection in the interview, simply saying: "I have so much love in my life."

Affleck, meanwhile, has been through several relationships since their 2018 divorce. Most notably, he reunited with and married his former fiancée Jennifer Lopez, only to split from her a couple of years later in 2025.

Garner famously supported Affleck through that second divorce from Lopez, showing the kind of friendship and partnership she spoke about. That's not always easy, being there for an ex-spouse through their heartbreak with someone else, but it speaks to the maturity they've both brought to their post-marriage relationship.

Dealing with public attention

For someone who's been in the spotlight for decades, Garner has developed firm boundaries about her life.

"It doesn't serve me to take in gossip about myself or anyone else, much less my kids, so I don't do it," she stated firmly. That's easier said than done when you're one half of one of Hollywood's most discussed divorces, but Garner has clearly made it a priority to protect her mental health and her children.

She acknowledged that public scrutiny remains 'the hardest thing' even now. "Not hard in the grand scheme of what is hard in the world, but tricky for me and tricky for my family," she admitted, showing perspective whilst still being honest about the challenge.

Choosing her children over career

When asked about her proudest achievement, Garner didn't hesitate. Her three children with Affleck top that list, which is why she took a deliberate step back from her career after becoming a mother.

"It never felt like a sacrifice. It was really hard to go to work and it definitely shaped the jobs I chose, in a big way," Garner explained.

That decision to prioritise parenting over career momentum isn't one every actor would make, especially at the height of their fame. But for Garner, it was clearly the right choice for her family.

What's next for her

Garner hasn't disappeared from screens entirely. She last appeared reprising her role as Elektra in the 2024 blockbuster Deadpool and Wolverine, showing she can still bring it when the right project comes along.

She will next be seen returning as Hannah Hall in season two of Apple TV's thriller series The Last Thing He Told Me. She's also set to headline another book adaptation series called The Five-Star Weekend this year.

It seems Garner has found a balance that works for her, choosing projects carefully whilst keeping her children and her own wellbeing as priorities. And perhaps most importantly, she's managed to transform what could have been a bitter divorce into a functional, even friendly co-parenting partnership.

As she said herself, time really can be the opportunity to heal and find a new way forward. Sometimes the friendship you rebuild isn't the same as what you had before, but it can still be something worth having.

Areeba Hashmi is a trainee at Gulf News.