Jennifer Garner is nearing a landmark in the age stakes as she turned half a century old this weekend.
The American actress rose to fame on both sides of the Atlantic as a plucky university student turned CIA agent in espionage drama Alias at the beginning of the century before going on to star in big screen outings including 13 Going On 30 and Daredevil.
It was on the set of Pearl Harbour that Jennifer met Ben Affleck – with the pair later embarking on a relationship.
The duo married and welcomed three children before going their separate ways – with Ben soon embarking on a refreshed romance.
Here is a look back on Jennifer and Ben’s past romance and details of his latest engagement.
Who are Jennifer Garner and Ben Affleck?
Jennifer Garner is an American actress who was born on 17 April 1972 in Houston, Texas.
After studying theatre, Jennifer began performing on stage before advancing to the screen – with her first role being in a made-for-TV movie in 1995 and she landed leading roles in TV series by the end of the ‘90s.
Her breakout role was as Sydney Bristow in spy drama Alias, while her big screen career stared in 1997 and she has starred in coming of age drama 13 Going On 30, the Marvel film Daredevil and it’s spin-off Elektra, the Oscar winning drama Juno, and the action film Peppermint.
Ben Affleck is an American actor who was born on 15 August 1972 in Berkeley, California.
He began acting as a child with his debut in 1981 as a nine-year-old in a film called The Dark End of the Street.
He has appeared in major films including Dazed and Confused, Armageddon, Pearl Harbour, and Justice League – and has bagged the Best Original Screenplay for writing Good Will Hunting in 1998 and the Best Picture Oscar for his 2013 film, Argo.
When did Jennifer Garner and Ben Affleck get engaged?
Jen and Ben met on the set of Pearl Harbour which was released in 2001 and starred opposite each other in the Marvel film Daredevil which was released in 2003.
They started dating the following year and were engaged in 2005.
Daredevil star Ben actually proposed to Jen on her 33rd birthday – with news spreading soon after despite the pair keeping their romance relatively private.
People reported at the time: “Though neither Affleck nor Garner will officially confirm it, a close friend of his has been spreading the word that the couple are going to tie the knot…
“The Hollywood pair spent the weekend in the Los Angeles area celebrating Garner’s 33rd birthday, including a party Saturday night at her Brentwood home with her parents, pals and some co-stars from Alias.”
While the pair may have tried to keep their engagement low-key, the giant 4.5-carat cushion-cut diamond ring designed by Harry Winston soon gave the game away as the Juno star was spotted with the giant rock on her finger everywhere she went.
When did Jennifer Garner and Ben Affleck get married?
The couple barely wasted any time organising their wedding and tied-the-knot on 29 June 2005 – just a little over two months after Ben popped the question.
But despite being two huge A-List Hollywood stars, Ben and Jen shunned a star-studded wedding and instead opted for an incredibly intimate private ceremony with just four people in total.
The couple tied-the-knot at Parrot Cay in the Turks & Caicos – with Jennifer’s Alia’s co-star Victor Garber and his husband Rainer Andreesen the only other people there.
Victor presided officiated the wedding and later told Entertainment Weekly: “It was an incredible honor and one of the most special events of my life. I will never forget it. It's embedded in my heart."
The couple announced their marriage to the world the day after their nuptials – as well as revealing Jennifer was three months pregnant with her first child.
The pair eventually had three children – with first daughter Violet born in late 2005, second daughter Seraphina born in 2009 and their son, Samuel, born in 2012.
When did Jennifer Garner and Ben Affleck split and why did they divorce?
Although they seemed like one of Hollywood’s happiest couples, Jennifer and Ben’s marriage collapsed in 2015 – just 10 years after they had tied-the-knot.
The pair announced their plans to divorce in June that year – and it was reported they were seeking joint physical and legal custody of their three children.
The divorce was finalised in October 2018 – while reports have also suggested that it was Ben’s alcohol struggles that damaged their relationship, and the actor also dropped out of all his work projects in 2017 as he battled his addiction.
Jennifer discussed her decision to attend an Al-Anon group – which teaches people close to addicts how to help and support them.
She told Entertainment Tonight that the group helped her figure out what parts of the struggle are "just not my business” and also taught her "what you need to do to show up for yourself and that changes the dance [of marriage].”
When did Ben Affleck get engaged to Jennifer Lopez?
Before he ever started dating Jennifer Garner, Ben had a highly publicised relationship with Jennifer Lopez – with the duo first getting together back in 2002.
They became engaged in 2003 and were due to tie-the-knot that year – only to abandon the wedding hours before they were due to walk down the aisle due to extreme paparazzi interest in the event.
Their relationship splintered soon after and they ended their engagement and their romance in early 2004.
However, in 2021, fans of the couple were astonished to learn that they had reconciled 17 years after their original break-up and were back romancing up a storm.
Further delight was found in April this year when Jennifer told fans that Ben had proposed to her a second time – and they plan to finally make it down the aisle together.
Who else has Jennifer Garner been married before?
Before she married Ben Affleck, Jennifer was married to the actor Scott Foley – who she met on the set of sitcom Felicity in 1998.
The pair tied-the-knot at their shared home in October 2000 – but sadly separated three years later.
Jennifer filed for divorce in May 2003, citing irreconcilable differences, and the pair were officially divorced in March the following year.
Jen then went on to date her Alias co-star Michael Vartan from August 2003 until mid-2004 – before she moved on and married Ben.
Jennifer’s love-life since her second divorce has been relatively private – but she did begin dating a businessman named John Miller in mid-2018, but they broke up in early 2020.
Do you have a story to sell? Get in touch with us at webcelebs@mirror.co.uk or call us direct at 0207 29 33033.
