Jennifer Lopez and Ben Affleck are looking back to the early days of their romance in a desperate bid to get their marriage back on track, with the estranged couple writing love letters to each other in a bid to rekindle their strained relationship.
Lopez, 54, and Affleck, 51, who reunited in 2021 after first splitting in 2004, have been living apart, have been photographed on occasion without their wedding rings and have not been seen together since June as they deal with persistent reports that their two-year marriage is on the rocks and spiraling toward divorce.
But despite being ready to “throw in the towel” a few months ago, Lopez and Affleck are no longer on the brink of a split, as they are working to save their union by keeping their love life out of the spotlight.
“Jen and Ben have agreed it’s best to take some time apart so they can really figure out what they want,” a source told DailyMail.com.
‘They were ready to throw in the towel. The divorce papers are already done and ready to be filed. But they wanted to give it one last chance before turning back and are going back to square one by writing letters to each other. This is what made them fall in love in the first place.’
Jennifer Lopez and Ben Affleck are reminiscing about the early days of their romance in a desperate attempt to get their marriage back on track by writing love letters to each other, sources say.
The couple have been texting each other after making the decision to spend some time apart. Affleck, 51, did not attend Lopez’s early birthday lunch over the weekend (pictured)
The Jenny from the Block singer celebrated with her 16-year-old twins, Emme and Max, as well as her manager Benny Medina.
Lopez shared a slew of love notes from Affleck in their film The Greatest Love Story Never Told, and the Gone Girl actor revealed that he held onto his correspondence with Lopez during his 13-year marriage to Jennifer Garner.
She later bound the letters and emails into a book to gift to the Jenny from the Block singer when they reunited in 2021.
“This book is a gift from Ben that he gave me on our first Christmas together,” she said in the documentary. “It contains all the letters and all the emails that we wrote to each other 20 years ago and today.”
One note read: ‘The Greatest Love Story Ever Told by Jennifer Lopez and Ben Affleck 2001-2010…and counting…’
But her final love letters to Affleck will not be made public.
“This time, JLo definitely won’t show anyone these letters and they will just be between her and Ben,” the source said. “If they decide they want to stay together, she will keep her love life to herself. So far, everything looks promising.”
Affleck revealed in the documentary that when they decided to rekindle their relationship, he initially asked for it to be kept private.
Affleck has been on the West Coast while Lopez, 54, has been spending time in the Hamptons with her kids and was joined last weekend by her 18-year-old daughter Violet.
The couple are “going back to square one by writing letters to each other” because “this is what made them fall in love in the first place,” a source told DailyMail.com.
He said: ‘When we got back together, I said, ‘Listen, one of the things I don’t want is a relationship on social media.’
“Then I realized that it’s not fair to ask for that. It’s like if you were going to marry a sea captain and you said, ‘Well, I don’t like the water.'”
He added: “We’re just two people with different kinds of approaches trying to learn how to come to an agreement.”
Lopez also acknowledged her husband’s trepidation about being in the public eye as a couple, especially given the intense media scrutiny they faced the first time around.
“I don’t think (Ben) would be very comfortable with me doing all this,” he said.
“But he loves me, he knows I’m an artist and he’ll support me in any way he can because he knows he can’t stop me from making the music that I make… he doesn’t want to stop me. But that doesn’t mean he’s comfortable being the muse.”
The couple, affectionately known as “Bennifer,” got engaged in late 2002 but broke up a year later before calling it quits for good in 2004.
They reunited in July 2021 and finally tied the knot the following year, first in Las Vegas and then again in August at Affleck’s mansion in Georgia.
Lopez’s documentary, The Greatest Love Story Never Told, revealed that the actor gave away the letters and emails they wrote to each other 20 years ago in a book (pictured)
The couple, affectionately known as “Bennifer”, got engaged in late 2002 but broke up a year later before calling it quits for good in 2004 (pictured in 2003).
An independent source said their marriage was “strained” but added that “there is also a deep love for each other.”
“They just have to find what brought them back together in the first place and there’s definitely a chance that three will be the charm when and if that happens,” they said.
“They don’t give up, they live day by day and they don’t want to get divorced.”
Last week, DailyMail.com reported that spending time apart has reinforced how much they love each other, and that Lopez has put her work commitments on hold in an attempt to help save her marriage and focus on being a mother.
“They’ve given each other space to think things through and that’s reinforced the fact that they love each other,” a source said.
‘Jennifer has put her work aside to focus on repairing the damage caused. She knows that at times she allowed her career and fame to get in the way of her marriage.’
They continued: “She’s really trying to be a good mother and a normal person for now because she knows that at the end of the day, her wealth and fame aren’t everything. She hopes it’s not too late.”
Lopez celebrated her 55th birthday early over the weekend, joining her manager Benny Medina and her 16-year-old twins, Max and Emme, for lunch in the Hamptons. Affleck was not in attendance.
Last weekend, she was photographed at an antiques fair with her husband’s daughter Violet, 18, whose mother is Garner. The former couple also have Seraphina, 15, and Samuel, 12.
Fears for the couple arose in May when it was revealed that they had gone 47 days without being photographed together. Lopez attended the Met Gala and the premiere of her film Atlas alone.
Fears for Lopez and Affleck first arose in May, when it was revealed they had gone 47 days without being photographed together.
Lopez attended the Met Gala and the premiere of her film Atlas alone.
Speculation then reached a fever pitch when Affleck moved from his $60 million mansion in California to a $100,000-a-month rental located near his ex-wife.
Just weeks later, the house was quietly put up for sale for $65 million and the couple began selling artwork from inside the mansion.
They were last photographed together in public on June 2, when they shared an awkward kiss on the cheek at Affleck’s son Samuel’s basketball game in Los Angeles.
They later attended the 12-year-old’s graduation event and after-party at Affleck’s current home in Brentwood, California, on June 12, but were photographed separately.