Jennifer Lopez makes surprising Ben Affleck admission following ‘really tough’ divorce

Jennifer Lopez has unexpectedly given credit to her ex-husband Ben Affleck for his little-known role in her latest project.

The surprise admission came as the actress and singer, 56, reflected on her divorce from the Gone Girl actor, 53, in a candid new interview.

For those not in the loop, JLo and Affleck finalised their divorce in January of this year, following Lopez's filing for divorce in August 2024, after the couple split well over a year before, back in April 2023.

The celebrity pair have been involved in a will-they-won't-they, on-and-off relationship for what feels like forever, giving even Ross and Rachel a run for their money.

They had previously been engaged in 2002 and rekindled their relationship in 2021 after nearly 20 years apart, before tying the knot in July 2022.

Jennifer Lopez has opened up on her split from Ben Affleck in a new interview (Instagram/@jlo)

Now, as they've seemingly gone their separate ways for good, Lopez has reflected on how 'tough' the break-up has been for her, but ultimately added that it's 'the best thing that ever happened' to her.

She spoke to CBS Sunday Morning about what it was like going through the divorce, while also filming her latest project, Kiss of the Spider Woman.

The actress recalled: "It was tough. It was a really tough time. It was hard not to think about stuff.

"It was the best and the worst of times, in a way. Every moment on set, every moment I was doing this role, I was so happy, and then it was like, back home, it was not great.

"It was just like, how do I reconcile this? But you get through it."

She continued: "Honestly, I have to say it was the best thing that ever happened to me. Because it changed me… it didn’t change me, it helped me grow in a way that I needed to grow. Become more self-aware. I’m a different person now than I was last year, I think."

Lopez, who plays the lead role, also gave Affleck his credit for the movie, which she admitted wouldn't have existed without him.

"The movie wouldn’t have been made if it wasn’t for him and Artists Equity," she explained. "And I will always give him that credit."

The actress revealed that her new movie, Kiss of the Spider Woman, wouldn't exist without her ex-husband (Eric Charbonneau/Getty Images)

She added: "They financed it. I told him this was the role I was born to play and I wanted to do it, and he was like, ‘Okay.’ And he helped make it happen."

JLo also talked about how the past summer, post-split, has best she's ever had.

She told the breakfast show: "I had so much fun. I’m able to enjoy things more. The joy is in living and these moments and really embracing life and everything that it brings to you for the lessons it brings and then for all the triumphs it brings.

"And the hard times are the lessons, and you have to understand that."

Lopez added: "And once you do, everything becomes a little bit lighter and you can really, really fly. If that hadn’t have happened, I wouldn’t understand that."

Kiss of the Spider Woman is a film adaption of the musical of the same name, which was based on Manuel Puig’s 1976 novel.

It's set to hit cinema screens on 10 October.