Jennifer Lopez has broken her silence after splitting from Ben Affleck two years after their wedding.
The On The Floor Singer went into the “sad” and “scary” reality of ending the relationship for a second time, but shared her newfound perspective on love and independence.
WATCH THE VIDEO ABOVE: JLo files for divorce.
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Lopez and Affleck — affectionately known as “Bennifer,” split in April and filed for divorce in August, 20 years after they first split in 2004.
In a candid interview with comedian Nikki Glaser, featured in the Fall 2024 edition of Interview Magazine, the 55-year-old star said of dating now she is single: “There’s no new bar because I’m not looking for anybody. How’s that?”
The singer and actress said it was the first time she had felt content being single.
Lopez emphasised the societal pressures surrounding relationships, saying, “for romantics, we often think we need someone else to be whole and happy.
“But you don’t. It only took 30 years.”
She underscored the importance of self-sufficiency: “This summer, I needed to prove to myself that I could do that.”
Despite this mindset shift, Lopez said being content and single had brought some emotional challenges.
“It feels lonely, unfamiliar, scary. It feels sad. It feels desperate,” she said.
But she found strength in confronting these feelings, stating: “Being in a relationship doesn’t define me.
“You have to be healthy. You have to be complete, if you want something that’s more complete.
‘You have to be good on your own. I thought I learned that, but I didn’t.”
When asked if the break-up was difficult, she responded, “Yes it’s f****** hard!”
“It feels lonely, unfamiliar, scary. It feels sad. It feels desperate,” the Marry Me actress said.
“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.
“Being in a relationship doesn’t define me.”
Looking back, Lopez said: “I felt like, whoa, I got here. I’m good. I did all the work and look at where I am, and then it was like my whole f****** world exploded.”
Lopez is set to appear in the upcoming sports biopic Unstoppable, produced by her ex-husband Ben Affleck, which will see a limited theatrical release in December.
“I did the movie because it was such an inspirational story, and it was a Latino story. It’s about Anthony Robles, a wrestler who was born with one leg, and how he defied the odds in his sport. I play his mother, who had him when she was 16,” she said of the project.
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Lopez cited irreconcilable differences as the cause for the split in her divorce filing and listed their separation date as April 26.
According to the report, obtained by TMZ, the pair had not signed a prenuptial agreement.
Lopez has a net worth of about $US400 ($A596) million. Meanwhile, Affleck has a reported net worth of $US150 ($A223) million.
According to the documents, Lopez is not seeking spousal support and asked it be denied to the Good Will Hunting star.
The pair were first engaged in 2002 but postponed their wedding the following year and officially split early in 2004.
The couple reunited in 2021, and tied the knot on August 20, 2022, in a lavish ceremony at Affleck’s compound in the southern US state of Georgia.