Just weeks after his divorce from Jennifer Lopez was finalized in late February, it seems Ben Affleck has found solace in the arms of someone very close to his heart.
New video obtained exclusively by the Daily Mail, reveals the star tenderly embracing none other than his ex-wife, and the mother of his three children, Jennifer Garner, 52, on Sunday.
The pair were paintballing at the Combat Paintball Park in Castaic near Los Angeles with their children, Fin, 16, and Sam, 13. Their eldest, 19-year-old Violet, is away studying at Yale.
In the bombshell footage, Affleck, 52, can be seen casually wrapping his arm around Garner’s waist in a clear display of intimacy.
Garner is focused on the task at hand, pointing her paintball gun forwards, but Affleck seems distracted, standing close to his ex-wife with his own gun dangling by his side.
As he draws her in towards him with a hand around her lower waist and holds her close for a few seconds, Garner’s hips appear to briefly reciprocate, leaning back into the embrace.
New video obtained exclusively by the Daily Mail, shows Ben Affleck tenderly embracing his ex-wife, and the mother of his three children, Jennifer Garner.
The pair were paintballing at the Combat Paintball Park in Castaic near Los Angeles.
Rumors of a romantic re-kindling between the pair — who were married for 13 years from 2005 until 2018 — have swirled for months, with Garner regularly seen supporting Affleck through his protracted second break-up with JLo, 55.
Insiders revealed last month that Affleck and Garner now ‘text, call, and communicate far more than they have over the past several years.’
Now, a new source close to Affleck has revealed further details to the Daily Mail: ‘It became very clear to Ben after he reunited with JLo that she was not “the one who got away”. She was also not the love of his life. Jen [Garner] was. Jen was there for him through his split and she will always be there for him. They are best friends, and they share children together.’
Representatives for both Affleck and Garner did not respond to requests for comment, but our source said: ‘Ben is not Jen’s boyfriend, nor is he her husband anymore. John [Miller] is her partner, and she is happy in her relationship. Ben’s friends truly believe that if Jen and John split, that he would get back together with her in a heartbeat. But that is not the case, and Ben respects her relationship with John.’
Potentially stirring the pot, the source added: ‘Does it bother John when he sees the two of them being touchy-feely? Sure. It would get to anyone, but this is nothing new. Ben and Jen have a unique relationship, especially for exes. He loves her more than any woman he has ever loved besides his mom. But he also accepts that this cannot be. Not while she is devoted to someone else. Ben will always flirt with Jen, and she sees it as innocent.’
Garner has reportedly been dating tech CEO John Miller since 2018.
Last December, the actress sparked engagement rumors when she flashed a sparkling ring on her wedding finger, only to remove it days later.
Affleck and JLo rekindled their romance — from the early 2000s, pre-dating his marriage to Garner — in 2021, before tying the knot in a Las Vegas ceremony the following July.
But problems in the marriage started almost immediately, with insiders later revealing that they were even ‘unhappy’ on their Italian honeymoon.
Come 2024, and things were rapidly deteriorating, at which point Garner reportedly stepped in as a ‘mediator’ and ‘marriage counselor’.
In the bombshell footage, Affleck can be seen casually wrapping his arm around Garner’s waist in a clear display of intimacy.
Jennifer Garner and Ben Affleck were all smiles as they arrived for a day of family fun at a paintball park in Los Angeles on Sunday.
The pair appeared to be gearing up for a game with their child Fin, 16, and son Sam 13. Their eldest, 19-year-old Violet, is away studying at Yale.
Affleck moved out of the $68 million marital home in Beverly hills, and into a $100,000-a-month Brentwood rental where Garner — who lives just two blocks away — regularly visited him.
In August, JLo filed for divorce.
Affleck reportedly then spent both Thanksgiving and Christmas with Garner and their children.
It’s a support system that certainly makes sense.
Affleck, who has been open about his battle with alcoholism, first went into rehab in 2001, before returning again in 2017 and 2018. Garner stayed by his side throughout.
In recent weeks, it appears to have been Affleck’s turn to return the favor. Garner has reportedly been struggling, exhausted from extensive volunteer work supporting the victims of the recent LA fires.
An insider told the Daily Mail last month that ‘to Ben, Jen is superwoman… She has saved him many times and there is nothing in the world he would not do for her.’
‘He is not super concerned for her right now,’ the source added, ‘but if that changes he would drop everything to make sure she is OK.’