Seemingly against all odds, Versace dress enthusiast Jennifer Lopez and unofficial Dunkin’ Donuts spokesperson Ben Affleck have famously proved everyone wrong by giving their notorious relationship another go, which is practically unheard of for New York/Boston couples.
“I feel so lucky and happy and proud to be with him,” Lopez told People Magazine in a new cover story. “It’s a beautiful love story that we got a second chance.”
The first chance was a broken engagement nearly two decades ago, when the couple famously split just days before their wedding in 2003. “It’s beautiful the way it feels very different than it was years ago. … There’s more of an appreciation and a celebration for it, which is nice,” says Lopez, who went on to marry Marc Anthony before their divorce in 2011. Affleck went onto date, and eventually marry, another Jennifer, which was also tumultuous.
Lopez says that having many years go by was an opportunity for the two to grow and understand fame, which was a main reason their initial relationship was squashed. “Before we kind of put [our relationship] out there and we were naïve and it got a little trampled.”
As for Affleck, who has a breakout role in 1992 as Basketball Player #10 in Buffy TheVampire Slayer, along with some minor superhero roles, Lopez feels as though he has matured over the years. “I’m so proud of the him, I’m so proud of the man he’s become that I’ve watched from afar. Being honest with each other, being loving, that’s just the basis of everything,” Lopez says.
The actress added, “I feel like he’s at a place in his life where — just like how I feel about myself — it’s been a journey of learning yourself and figuring yourself out, getting to a place where you feel really good on your own and who you are so you can be in a happy, healthy relationship.” Sometimes, figuring yourself out is just learning what your Dunkin’ coffee preference is. That’s true love.