Their red-carpet appearances used to go viral for all the wrong reasons, but when Jennifer Lopez and her ex-husband Ben Affleck appeared together at the premiere of Kiss of the Spider Woman, tongues were most certainly wagging. But despite their cosy reunion, an insider tells Closer Ben actually has his eye on another ex-girlfriend.
The 53-year-old actor has had is fair share of high-profile relationships, sharing three children with actress Jennifer Garner as well as dating Gwyneth Paltrow in the late nineties. But now that one of his more recent exes has found herself single again, we’re told Ben is planning on reaching out.
‘Ben Affleck is still carrying a torch for Ana De Armas and convinced they’ve got unfinished business, which he’s determined to re-explore in the wake of her sudden split from Tom Cruise.’
Ana, 37, was first spotted with Tom at a romantic dinner on Valentine’s Day, and the actress was reportedly unable to resist Tom’s charms – which saw the Mission Impossible hunk woo the actress with dinners at lavish restaurants and several flights in his private jet.
However, after going public in July when they were photographed during an intimate getaway to where Ana lives in Vermont, the two haven’t been pictured in weeks, with another insider confirming earlier this week that Ana has been single for ‘a while’.
And it seems Ben – who dated Ana between 2019 and 2021 – has seen this as his chance.
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‘Ben’s happy as can be that she’s back on the market. He’s planning to reach out and check in; he basically wants to test the waters and see what his chances are for a reunion. He’d love to see if there’s something there because she’s someone he hasn’t been able to forget. Even when he was with J.Lo he’d bring her up to friends and talk about how great she is. Their chemistry was off the charts, but the timing was all wrong back then.’
Ben first met Ana on the set of their film Deep Water and the pair dated during the covid pandemic. But in 2021, Ana is said to have ended things due to their lives going in ‘different directions’. A cardboard cut-out of Ana was famously pictured being thrown away outside Ben’s house after their split. But our source says ben feels they’re in a different place now.
‘Nearly five years have gone by though and they’re both in very different head spaces. He’s much more grounded these days. When they were together his life was still very chaotic. He’s been through so much since then and says he feels a lot more settled. Plus, Ana’s had a ton of success since they broke up and that only makes Ben more attracted to her.’
Ben and J.Lo got together – for the second time – not long after he had split with Ana, but their romantic reunion wasn’t to last. Jennifer, 56, filed for divorce on their second wedding anniversary after months of speculation over their relationship, with both A-listers ditching their wedding rings amid reports they were living apart. Even while they were together, Ben, 53, described himself and Jennifer as ‘two different people with different kinds of approaches’.
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Our insider says lonely Ben – who is regularly pictured spending time with ex-wife Jen Garner and their three children, Samuel, 13, Fin, 16, and Violet, 19 -has been reminiscing about past relationships.
‘It’s no secret that Ben’s been pretty lonely lately so that’s a big part of this. He’s been single for more than a year and that’s really not by choice, he just hasn’t had any luck finding someone that he clicks with. That’s why he’s looking at the past and obsessing over Ana. He says he regrets taking her for granted and wants to make it right. No doubt a part of this has been spurred on by her dating Tom. Ben’s a competitive guy and seeing her with someone he considers something of a rival lit a fire under him. Of course, Ben would never admit to that, he’s convinced this is a lot deeper. He’s even said that maybe she’s the one he’s meant to settle down with after all. He says it was so easy to be around her, there was never any drama. She’s a very laid back person and after being with J.Lo he’s realised that’s a quality he needs in a partner. It doesn’t hurt that she’s absolutely stunning. It’s been eating at him that he let her go so easily and he doesn’t see any reason not to try again.’
But friends and family are worried about Ben and feel like he just needs to move on.
‘A lot of people in Ben’s world rolling their eyes because it’s just so typical,’ the source says. ‘He always seems to rinse and repeat when it comes to his love life. That’s partly because he’s a love avoidant, so he always wants what he can’t have. But he also really struggles to let down his guard with new people, dating is very tough for him.
‘There’s a comfort that he’s already established with Ana, it won’t be starting from scratch and that’s very appealing for him. It’s definitely going to take some work on his part to woo her back because she wasn’t too thrilled when things ended, but Ben’s a charmer when he wants to be. If she does agree to see him he’ll be doing his best to impress her. Who knows if she will feel the same but he’s willing to take the risk. If she’s open to it he would love a second shot, they had a lot of fun together and he figures why not see if the spark is still there.’
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