Jennifer Lopez Says She and Ben Affleck "Both Have PTSD" From Their First Romance

Jennifer Lopez is gearing up for the release of her upcoming album This Is Me...Now and its accompanying companion film on the 20th anniversary of This Is Me...Then. Much like the first record, the sequel will share intimate details from her romance with Ben Affleck — and amidst the excitement to share new music, J.Lo still has a bit of apprehension about putting the couple's relationship back into the spotlight. 

"We both have PTSD," Lopez told Variety of the media scrutiny the couple faced when they first dated back in the early 2000s. "But we're older now. We’re wiser. We also know what’s important, what’s really important in life, and it’s not so much what other people think. It’s about being true to who you are.” 

Despite any fears she had, J.Lo ultimately decided coming out with a sequel album was the right thing to do. "As artists, we have to follow our heart and this is me following my heart and doing something that maybe everybody didn’t think was the best idea, but I had to do it," she explained.

Lopez and Affleck initially dated in 2002, before calling off their engagement due to "excessive media attention." They rekindled their romance nearly 20 years later in 2021 and got married in Las Vegas the following year, and again, with a larger celebration at the actor's estate in Savannah, Georgia a few months later. "I feel so lucky and happy and proud to be with him," Lopez previously said of Affleck to People in 2022, adding, "It's a beautiful love story that we got a second chance."

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