It might feel as a dejavu for Ben Affleck. The actor is reportedly struggling with all the media attention he and his wife Jennifer Lopez are getting. As paparazzi and scrutiny was the alleged reason why Ben and JLo called it quits almost 20 years ago, a source close to the couple reveals the Batman actor had a hard time during their honeymoon.
“Ben was a little freaked out in Paris,” a source told Page Six. “This was a whole new level.” Adding, “an almost Princess-Diana level.”
© GettyImagesIn 2003, the newlyweds had to postpone their first planned wedding. “Due to the excessive media attention surrounding our wedding, we have decided to postpone the date,” they informed in a statement.
In 2021, British PR guru Rob Shuter, which managed the singer between 2003 and 2005, coinciding with Bennifer’s initial romance, and even wrote the Hollywood power couple’s break-up statement in 2004, said he knew they would get married.
Speaking exclusively to MailOnline, Shuter said he believes the pair only separated because of Ben’s addiction demons. He also told Fox News, that media frenzy played a role too. “Back when they were together, they were on every cover of every major magazine, week after week,” he said. “But that hasn’t happened now. The public is still interested in Bennifer, but the world’s media has changed in the last decade. People are now consuming the news on the internet. I’m not diminishing their star power, but that same pressure isn’t there. It’s not as high risk. So they can enjoy themselves.”
© GettyImagesLopez rekindled her relationship with Affleck in May 2021 following her split from her ex-fiancé, Alex Rodriguez . The couple have seemingly been inseparable ever since, recently making their first red carpet appearance together in 15 years. The publicist and author also said that if Jennifer didn’t see a future with Ben, she would never be so open and attend to red carpets. “I don’t think either of them would be this open about being back together if they weren’t serious,” he said. “When I worked for Jennifer, she was the boss. I should have been paying her because she runs the show.”
Jennifer and Ben announced their engagement in April after rekindling their romance in 2021. “It turns out love is patient. Twenty years patient,” Lopez wrote, referring to all the time they spent apart after breaking up.
“Stick around long enough, and maybe you’ll find the best moment of your life in a drive-through in Las Vegas at 12:30 in the morning in the tunnel of love drive-through, with your kids and the one you’ll spend forever with,” the Marry Me star said. “Love is a great thing, maybe the best of things — and worth waiting for.”
