She reportedly focused on her ex's health and well being, for the sake of their three kids.
Editor's note: This article was originally published on December 16, 2021. It has since been updated.
In a recent interview on The Howard Stern Show, Ben Affleck claimed that he turned into an alcoholic because he was in an unhappy marriage with Jennifer Garner. "t's part of why I started drinking … because I was trapped," he said, according to PEOPLE. He also told Stern that if they'd stayed together, they "would've ended up … probably at each other's throats."
But, a 2018 article by ET Online reveals that Garner played a very instrumental part in helping her ex-husband get over his addiction. The two announced their split in 2015, and their divorce was finalized in 2018, but despite that, Garner drove her estranged husband to rehab in August 2018. He had previously been to rehab in 2001 and 2017.
Ben Affleck: I would've 'still' been drinking if I stayed married to Jennifer Garner
— Cecily (@chicagobonjour) December 14, 2021
Jennifer Garner: *helps him to rehab 3 full years after they’ve already separated * pic.twitter.com/9StRYJ7tWI
The 13 going on 30 star knew Affleck needed help and so she was there for him. She reportedly focused on her ex's health and well being, for the sake of their three kids: Violet, 16, Seraphina, 12, and Samuel, 9. "[She] was very emotional but decided to take the situation into her own hands," an eyewitness said.
“Deep down he knows he can't live the life he used to," a source told ET of Affleck's addiction struggles at the time. "He knows that life was the downfall of his marriage. Jen set boundaries, she did everything to help him. She stuck by him and gave him ultimatums but he’d eventually fall off the wagon. He would go back to partying and gambling and she would try again. This has been going on for years.”
Ben Affleck: I would've 'still' been drinking if I stayed married to Jennifer Garner
— Cecily (@chicagobonjour) December 14, 2021
Jennifer Garner: *helps him to rehab 3 full years after they’ve already separated * pic.twitter.com/9StRYJ7tWI
Elsewhere in the interview with Stern, Affleck said that their divorce was somewhat of a smooth process. "We did it amicably. We did our best. Did we have moments of tension? Did we have disagreements over the custody? Was stuff difficult for us? Did we get angry? Yes," he recalled of the divorce process. "But fundamentally it was always underpinned with a respect."
"I knew she was a good mom. I always hoped that she knew that I was a good dad; I knew I was," continued Affleck. "I had to get sober, and I knew that too and I acknowledged that."
Free PR lesson for Ben Affleck: I drank because I was unhappy. End the sentence RIGHT THERE. Don't mention your ex-wife, mother of your children, and general ray of sunshine Jennifer Garner. Because SHE IS NOT WHY YOU DRANK, YOU INSUFFERABLE ASSBAG.
— Cyndi (@cynlu820) December 15, 2021
He also said that they tried to make their marriage work but in vain. "We had a marriage that didn't work, this happens, with somebody that I love and respect, but to whom I shouldn't be married any longer. Ultimately, we tried, we tried, we tried because we had kids. Both of us felt like we don't want this to be the model that our kids see of marriage," he said.
Ben Affleck was pounding scotch, passing out in front of the kids, and cheating with the nanny.
— Lee Radziwill (@RadziwillLee) December 15, 2021
Jennifer Garner 👏
was trapped 👏
in that marriage. 👏
References:
https://people.com/movies/ben-affleck-respect-jennifer-garner-amid-difficult-divorce/
https://www.etonline.com/news/212956_how_jennifer_garner_helped_ben_affleck_turn_his_life_around
Cover Image Source: Getty Images | Photos By (L) Vittorio Zunino Celotto (R) Emma McIntyre
