This month marks 10 years since the picture-perfect marriage of Ben Affleck and Jennifer Garner finally cracked after months of speculation about rising tensions driven by his rumoured affair with their nanny, his well-documented alcohol addiction and his ‘obsession’ with his high-flying acting career. Once championed as the ultimate #couplegoals, fans praised the pair as looking as if they’d stepped ‘straight out of catalogue’ – a wholesome image only furthered by the snaps of them out shopping or on the school run with their three children, Violet, 19, Seraphina, 16, and Samuel, 13. But one day after their tenth anniversary in 2015, the Hollywood golden couple – who first met on the set of Pearl Harbour back in 2000 – announced their separation, with Ben confessing in a 2020 interview that their divorce still remains ‘the biggest regret of my life’.

Yet a decade on and while Jen, 53, has since moved on with investment CEO John Miller, who she began dating in 2018, the former couple remain inextricably linked, with their unusual relationship sparking years of reconciliation rumours, despite both having moved on with new partners. And in March reports again surfaced that Jen could be finally set to reunite with her ex-husband when the pair were spotted hugging and laughing together as they skipped the Oscars to go paintballing with their children. Their cosy outing came after months of reports suggesting that Jennifer had become a ‘shoulder to cry on’ for Ben, 52, following his divorce from Jennifer Lopez in January.

At the time, it was also reported by a US source that Ben ‘would love another chance’ but that the ‘feeling was not mutual’ on Jen’s side. And last week, a characteristically private Jen appeared to put heed to those rumours when she was photographed intimately kissing partner John, with sources suggesting that the pair, who are believed to be engaged, could be set to tie the knot privately this summer. 

Now an insider tells us that Jen’s decision to publicly pack on the PDAs with John could have been deliberate, as they tell us that the pair have made a huge leap in their seven year relationship following a conversation between Jen and Ben, during which they say the mum-of-three put in some firm boundaries with her ex to respectfully distance herself from his personal ‘drama’. 

An insider says, ‘Things have never been better between Jen and John and everyone agrees that’s directly related to her getting some distance from Ben. She’s staying firm. She needs space from him and can’t be holding his hand every step of the way anymore.’ 

Marrying in 2005 in an intimate ceremony in the Caribbean, the couple welcomed their three children together before tensions in their marriage began to arise. While reports suggesting that Ben had been involved with his children’s nanny – who he reportedly had been in a romantic relationship with ‘for months’, something he denied – surfaced just weeks before their divorce announcement, Jennifer has since insisted that the rumoured affair had nothing to do with their break up. 

However, she appeared to ‘confirm’ it had taken place, telling Vanity Fair, ‘Let me just tell you something. We had been separated for months before I ever heard about the nanny. She had nothing to do with our decision to divorce. She was not a part of the equation. Jen added, ‘Bad judgment? Yes. It’s not great for your kids for [a nanny] to disappear from their lives. I have had to have conversations [with my children] about the meaning of scandal.’

Now, while the source says Jen wants to maintain a healthy and loving co-parenting relationship with Ben and reveal she has promised to continue to spend quality family time together, they say she’s now ready to move on for good by marrying John. The insider says, ‘She’ll still see Ben for the kid’s sake and has promised they’ll do things as a family on a regular basis because it’s important to the kids, but as far as talking to him every day and being his shoulder to cry on, that’s not something she’s willing to do anymore. She’s got to put her relationship with John first and if Ben can’t understand that, then so be it. John is highly delighted that Jen is finally putting him first, he was very patient about the tight nature of her and Ben’s relationship but eventually it wore him out.’

Two years after their divorce, Jen was also involved in the intervention that finally pushed Ben into seeking help for his alcohol addiction, which he has since openly spoken about. However, the actor faced criticism when he appeared to blame Jen – something he has since denied – saying, ‘I’d probably still be drinking. Part of why I started drinking alcohol was because I felt trapped.’ Meanwhile, Jen hinted at Ben’s reported ‘dark moods’, saying after their split, ‘When his [Affleck’s] sun shines on you, you feel it. But when the sun is shining elsewhere, it’s cold.’ Yet despite him having had several romances since their divorce, including with SNL Producer Lindsay Shookus, actress Ana de Armas and his reconciliation with Jennifer Lopez, Jen has remained a ‘saint’ type figure in his life.

Now the source says, ‘Jen’s such a nice nurturing person that she didn’t have the heart to turn him away or dial things back. She’s still there for him and there’s no way she’d ever turn her back.’ But now, as she’s set to finally set to begin a new chapter in her own life, the source says Jen has had no choice but to encourage Ben to accept that she won’t be at his beck and call now that her and John are ready to cement their relationship for good. The source explains, ‘She’s not going to be his glorified therapist or life coach, and he’s had no choice except to deal with it. He’s throwing himself into work, seeing his sober buddies and doting on the kids of course, but the days of leaning on Jen for constant advice and validation have drawn to a close – for now at least, and he’s missing her like crazy.

And the source says Jen is happy to play matchmaker for Ben so they can both move on for good, adding, ‘Jen’s told Ben he needs to get himself a girlfriend and she’s even offered to keep an eye out in case she can set him up. But he’s not having much luck in that department and his friends are all gossiping that he’s clearly still totally hung up on Jen.’ 

However, for Jen, after years of heartbreak, she finally appears to have found her Happy Ever After, with the source adding, ‘She’s happy with how things are and the future’s bright for her and John, who’s a wonderful partner and someone she loves very much.’