After Jennifer Lopez and Ben Affleck announced that their revived relationship was over, our nostalgic dreams were instantly crushed.
The pair, who first dated back in the 2000s, tied the knot in 2022 after years apart and marriages to other people.
However, Lopez ended up filing for divorce on 20 August this year - which just so happened to be their wedding anniversary - with the date of their separation listed as 26 April 2024.
While the duo have remained fairly tight-lipped about the split, last month Lopez addressed her new single life, telling Interview magazine: “Everything that I’ve done over the past 25, 30 years, being in these different challenging situations, what can I f***ing do when it’s just me flying on my own… what if I’m just free?”
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She added: “It feels lonely, unfamiliar, scary. It feels sad. It feels desperate. But when you sit in those feelings and go, ‘These things are not going to kill me,’ it’s like actually, I am capable of joy and happiness all by myself.”
After news of the breakup broke, it didn’t take long for fans to spot a detail from their relationship that they said ended up being the ‘biggest jinx of the decade’.
When Affleck proposed, he had the emerald engagement ring – worth an estimated $5 million – engraved with a heartfelt, but now slightly awkward, phrase.
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“He put ‘Not going anywhere’ because that’s how he would sign his emails when we started talking again,” Lopez previously told Apple Music One’s Zane Lowe. "Like, 'Don’t worry, I’m not going anywhere'."
After news of the divorce, one fan posted about the ring on Reddit.
“That engraving ended up being the biggest jinx of the decade,” someone else noted, as another joked: “Maybe he meant the relationship wasn't going anywhere.”
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A third echoed: “Nah, he’s a visionary! He’s not. going. anywhere… with her! And with the paparazzi… And with her entourage…”
Still, Affleck seems to not have hard feelings about their time together coming to an end, having recently made a surprisingly flattering statement about her performance in her forthcoming film Unstoppable.
Discussing the release of the sports drama, which he also produced, he told Entertainment Tonight: "Unstoppable is a very different movie than this but in a way, it's similarly rooted in the passion of really talented artists.
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"Goldenberg and Jennifer and Don Cheadle and Jharrel, and Bobby Cannavale - all were really passionate about this film."
Affleck went on to express an emotional connection to the true story being told - that of university amateur wrestler Anthony Robles, who was born with one leg and yet becomes a sporting champion - adding: "Jennifer is spectacular."
Topics: Ben Affleck, Celebrity, Jennifer Lopez, Sex and Relationships
Jess Hardiman