<p id=”par-1_59″>When <a href=”https://www.cheatsheet.com/tag/ben-affleck/?swcfpc=1″>Ben Affleck</a> and <a href=”https://www.cheatsheet.com/tag/jennifer-garner/?swcfpc=1″>Jennifer Garner</a> began dating, they were both coming out of relationships. She had recently ended her marriage to Scott Foley, and he had ended his engagement to Jennifer Lopez. They were friends, but they began to develop romantic feelings for one another. Garner said that Affleck began sending her emails that helped win her over.</p>
<h2 class=”wp-block-heading” id=”h-ben-affleck-sent-jennifer-garner-romantic-emails-early-in-their-relationship-nbsp”>Ben Affleck sent Jennifer Garner romantic emails early in their relationship </h2>
<p id=”par-2_17″>After her <a href=”https://www.cheatsheet.com/entertainment/why-jennifer-garner-said-her-first-marriage-to-scott-foley-just-imploded.html/”>marriage to Foley ended</a> in 2004, Garner said she took time to work on herself. </p>
<p id=”par-3_52″>“It’s easy when you’re hurt and angry to just say, ‘Oh, it’s them,’” she told <a target=”_blank” href=”https://parade.com/131280/jeannewolf/jennifer-garner-3/” rel=”noreferrer noopener”>Parade</a> in 2010. “But I had to come into my own. I thought, ‘Why did this relationship not work? What part of the failure is my responsibility?’ So I went to work on it. I started therapy.”</p>
<figure class=”wp-block-image size-full” id=”emb-1″><img decoding=”async” src=”https://www.cheatsheet.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/Jennifer-Garner-Ben-Affleck-11.webp?strip=all&quality=80″ alt=”Ben Affleck and Jennifer Garner sit next to each other at a baseball game. He wears a baseball hat.” class=”wp-image-3679952″><figcaption class=”wp-element-caption”>Ben Affleck and Jennifer Garner | Jim Rogash/WireImage</figcaption></figure>
<p id=”par-4_26″>After therapy and self-reflection, Garner felt ready for a relationship with Affleck, who was her friend. She said he began writing to her to woo her.</p>
<p id=”par-5_18″>“Well, it helped that we were both single at the time,” she said. “He’s a <a href=”https://www.cheatsheet.com/entertainment/ben-affleck-compared-winning-oscar-good-will-hunting-traffic-accident.html/”>very good writer</a>.”</p>
<p id=”par-6_16″>When asked if he wrote her romantic letters, she said not to make assumptions before relenting.</p>
<p id=”par-7_10″>“Okay … email,” she said. “He’s a very persuasive writer.”</p>
<p id=”par-8_8″>She admitted that she kept all these messages.</p>
<h2 class=”wp-block-heading” id=”h-she-shared-what-it-was-like-to-be-with-affleck”>She shared what it was like to be with Affleck</h2>
<p id=”par-9_14″>In 2005, Affleck and Garner married. She described him as a very confident partner. </p>
<p id=”par-10_51″>“Ben is charm personified when he wants to be,” she said. “He’s not easily threatened or made uncomfortable — he’s very secure in that way. Maybe he just knows I’m nuts about him, and he doesn’t have anything to worry about. Don’t forget we were friends first for a long time.”</p>
<p id=”par-11_12″>She also said that they were always able to have fun together.</p>
<p id=”par-12_18″>“Ben is sexy and kind, but he’s also a riot,” she said. “We can be very goofy together.”</p>
<p id=”par-13_17″>They had three children together, but Garner said they worked to keep the romance between them alive.</p>
<p id=”par-14_68″>“You steal the time,” she said, adding, “You steal a date, you steal a kiss, you steal a whisper. You sit next to each other on the couch with computers on your laps. After the kids are asleep you…well, you know. Whatever it is. You slip away for a night, which we’ve only just now done for the first time. Of course, I call home while we’re away.”</p>
<h2 class=”wp-block-heading” id=”h-ben-affleck-and-jennifer-garner-divorced-in-2018″>Ben Affleck and Jennifer Garner divorced in 2018</h2>
<p id=”par-15_15″>In 2015, after ten years of marriage, Garner and Affleck announced that <a href=”https://www.cheatsheet.com/entertainment/jennifer-garner-refused-date-divorce-ben-affleck.html/”>they were separating</a>. </p>
<figure class=”wp-block-image size-full” id=”emb-2″><img decoding=”async” src=”https://www.cheatsheet.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/Garner-Affleck.webp?strip=all&quality=80″ alt=”Jennifer Garner and Ben Affleck sit together on the grass under a tree. She wears sunglasses.” class=”wp-image-3680021″><figcaption class=”wp-element-caption”>Jennifer Garner and Ben Affleck | Stav/Bauer-Griffin/GC Images</figcaption></figure>
<div class=”related-article related-article–simple”>
<span class=”related-article-flag”>Related</span>
<p class=”related-article__title”>
<a href=”https://www.cheatsheet.com/entertainment/ben-affleck-denied-gwyneth-paltrow-horrified-engagement-jennifer-lopez.html/”>
Ben Affleck Denied That Gwyneth Paltrow Was Horrified by His Engagement to Jennifer Lopez </a>
</p>
</div>
<p id=”par-16_65″>“After much thought and careful consideration, we have made the difficult decision to divorce,” the couple said in a statement (per <a target=”_blank” href=”https://people.com/movies/ben-affleck-jennifer-garner-relationship-timeline/” rel=”noreferrer noopener”>People</a>). “We go forward with love and friendship for one another and a commitment to co-parenting our children whose privacy we ask to be respected during this difficult time. This will be our only comment on this private, family matter. Thank you for understanding.”</p>
<p id=”par-17_15″>They finalized their divorce in 2018, but have maintained a friendly relationship since their split.</p>