They’ve been married for nearly a year. But earlier this month, fans were shocked when Ben Affleck and Jennifer Lopez stepped out together on the red carpet. The couple – who rekindled their romance in 2021 – looked glamorous as ever during the outing, but speculated that Ben had undergone cosmetic procedures thanks to his frozen features. And now friends and family of the Gone Girl actor, 50, are worried that his new look may have been influenced by his new wife – and the pressure she is putting him under to keep up their perfect image.

An insider tells Closer, “Ben does look Botoxed to the max and people are snickering that Jennifer had something to do with it. She’s so image conscious and is forcing him to straighten up and look well-groomed. He’s always relied on his good looks to get him through, so it’s got to be killing him that he looks stiff-faced and swollen. One thing Ben trusts Jen about and looks to her for advice with is health and fitness. He’s in awe about how amazingly she’s aged and says that for all their niggles she’s hands down the most stylish and well preserved person he’s ever met his entire life. So he’s been taking her lead on things like skincare, grooming, dressing himself in more stylish outfits and having more of an open mind about certain wellness treatments and the odd nip-tuck.”

Closer’s source says he was under a huge amount of pressure so went and had a few treatments done under the advice of his demanding wife.

The insider continues, “That’s why he went ahead and got this splurge for the red carpet appearance, and he managed to convince himself it looked good until he saw the photos afterwards and realised he’d gone way overboard. Still, Jen’s telling him not to worry or doubt himself; this is the way of the world as far as Hollywood goes and he’s got to embrace other options now he’s turned 50. It’s ironic, since she gets little to nothing done herself – but to be fair, she hasn’t had the harsh life and made the same poor lifestyle choices that Ben has, which have taken a toll on his youthful looks. The smoking, the drinking in years gone by, the junk food… it’s all come at a cost, and now he’s looking at Jen’s advice to help embrace tools that disguise his ageing. She’s loving it, even if his friends gossip that this is a clear example of her eating him up and somewhat destroying the guy.”

J-Lo’s reinvention of her hubby is clearly keeping her happy. On Father’s Day, the singer, 53, shared a series of photos and videos of Ben with her 248 million Instagram followers, and captioned the snaps, “Daddy Appreciation Post. Happy Father’s Day Papa.” And while the first shirtless picture showing Ben’s ripped abs did delight fans, some were quick to point out that the post didn’t actually contain any pictures with his three children – Violet, 17, Seraphina, 14, and 11-year-old Samuel, who he shares with his ex-wife, Jennifer Garner – or her 15-year-old twins from her marriage to Marc Anthony, Max and Emme.

The affectionate social media post also comes after rumours that the couple’s relationship is on the rocks. In May, they were pictured furiously gesturing to one another before putting on a loved-up display for the cameras at a red carpet appearance for Jen’s film, The Mother. And since then, they have been photographed in similar heated arguments – including one while Ben was behind the wheel of his SUV and Jen was in the passenger seat.

Sources even revealed to Closer earlier this month that while the pair have just purchased a lavish new £49 million mansion – which sits on a double-gated five-acre estate and boasts 12 bedrooms, 24 bathrooms, a cinema, wine room, whiskey lounge and a spa with a hair and nail salon – the sale was all down to Jen, who has stumped up the lion’s share for the property in order to project their A-List image to the world.

“Ben’s nothing like as rich as she is – he’s blown through a huge chunk of that supposed $150m fortune in recent years, and Jen knows better than to push his buttons and get him to pay for this lifestyle he can’t ultimately afford,” they revealed. “It means she’s on the hook for the fancy cars, the hired help, day-to-day expenses like trainers, beauty treatments, personal chefs and fancy yachts then she’s okay with it – especially as she gets to call the shots and remind Ben that without her he’s nothing! Ben has been moaning for a while now that he can’t keep up with Jen’s spending, and nor should he have to – it’s one of their big issues, because he hates being made to feel inadequate or railroaded into this crazy lifestyle where they’re this King and Queen of LA.”

So with all that being said, it’s no wonder that pals close to Ben – who first began dating J-Lo in mid-2002 and even popped the question before they called time on their relationship after around 18 months – are also concerned that there may be deeper factors at play, and that the star is actually going through a midlife crisis.

“It’s not just the treatments that aren’t working: it’s the new marriage, the fights, blended family, new house, plus balancing his career which is still going full throttle,” they continue. “It’s a lot to deal with, especially for someone as sensitive and insecure as Ben. He’s not a guy who can handle pain and pressure, as his frequent trips to rehab have proven! Jennifer’s happy with the situation because she feels she’s got him where she wants him – and she wants that grisly tattoo off next! Ben has been pushing for his independence and vows to all his friends and family that he won’t end up being this poodle like A-Rod and other guys who’ve dated Jen in the past. But that attitude has only caused him stress and misery, since she simply will not accept not being the boss and if that means taking the approach that’s akin to that of a human bulldozer then she’ll do it.”