Jennifer Lopez admits she and Ben Affleck still have 'PTSD' from their first romance… but now they're 'older' and 'wiser' as a married couple

Jennifer Lopez confessed that she and her husband Ben Affleck still “both have PTSD” from the bright spotlight of their first romance.

They dated in the early 2000s, sending their fanbases into a frenzy and creating a firestorm of publicity surrounding their infamous mega-flop film Gigli.

After their broken engagement, they both went on to get married and divorce other people before eventually ending up back in each other's arms.

They rekindled their relationship in 2021 and got married the following year, once again becoming one of the most talked-about couples in showbiz.

Now, in a candid new interview with VarietyJennifer revealed that they are still wearing the cars from their first go-round as a public couple.

She shared that “we both have PTSD” from their first experience, but explained that in their current life as a married couple “we are older now. We are wiser.'

J-Lo added, “We also know what's important, what's really important in life, and it's not so much what other people think. It's about being true to who you are.'

She is currently gearing up for the release of her upcoming album This Is Me… Now, a follow-up to her 2002 album This Is Me… Then.

The new record comes along with an accompanying film, the contents of which remain a mystery, but which will somehow revolve around her marriage to Ben.

“As artists we have to follow our hearts and this is me following my heart and doing something that maybe everyone else didn't think was the best idea, but I had to do it,” said Jennifer, whose new album is also about marriage.

She declined to specify whether the film will be a documentary or a scripted project, preferring to leave the reveal until the film's release.

“You'll have to see it and you'll have to experience it to understand it,” the Jenny From The Block hitmaker deftly teased.

'That's why I call it a 'musical experience'. Because there is music, you can see it, you can hear it and then you can experience it.'

Jennifer and Ben first became a couple on the set of Gigli and began a relationship that became a point of interest.

Their high-profile public appearances, accompanied by Gigli's box office disaster, were a constant topic of conversation.

Jennifer added fuel to the fire with the release of This Is Me… Then, which was dedicated to her boyfriend and featured songs about him, including Dear Ben.

“Bennifer” became a lightning rod of admiration and then ridicule, including a memorably acidic parody of it in an episode of South Park.

Trey Parker, co-creator of the cartoon, later claimed that he heard gossip that the production assistants began quoting the parody on the set of one of J-Lo's films.

“She got so angry and had to fire people,” claimed Trey, who is also one of the voice stars on the show. “But she kept hearing it in the distance.”

The couple became engaged in late 2002, but broke off the engagement in late 2003 before ending their relationship completely in 2004.

In the intervening years, Jennifer married and divorced her third ex-husband Marc Anthony, with whom she welcomed her 15-year-old twins Max and Emme.

Meanwhile, Ben married and divorced Jennifer Garner, with whom he amicably raised three children: Violet, 18, Seraphina, 14, and Samuel, 11.

A source recently told DailyMail.com that the J-Lo marriage helped Ben and his ex-wife “get to a better place” in their own situation.

'Ben is healthy. The past drama and emotions of divorce are long gone and they're all making it work,” the insider explains.

Ben's two wives are apparently “friendly” with each other, and all the children in the blended family are said to “love each other.”

The source shared, “It's a really happy co-parenting situation. Everything is really good now and should be the same in the near and distant future.'

An earlier article on the British website Closer online claimed J-Lo was “blindsided” and “furious” upon seeing photos of Ben and his ex-wife looking friendly.

Meanwhile, it was claimed that at this point, Ben said that Jennifer is just like his sister, and if J-Lo gets jealous and throws tantrums over an innocent hug, then the problem is hers. This is a real war of attrition that threatens to explode.'

However, an insider assured DailyMail.com that Ben and J-Lo were “very much in love with each other” and that rumors of marital tension were false. 'Their relationship is still on fire. They are very happy with each other, and there is no drama at all in their relationship at the moment.'