Well, it was only a matter time before details – unsubstantiated, but whatever! – about Ben Affleck and Jennifer Garner‘s divorce began “leaking” to the press. It seemed weird to many that they waited until the day after their 10th wedding anniversary to officially end things, but it’s not like their relationship issues just cropped up. In fact, they’ve been there for ages.
Here’s TMZ‘s scoop:
There are clearly 2 views on the demise of the marriage. As we first reported, some sources with a bird’s-eye view have told us Jen was fed up with Ben’s booze and blackjack habits. But other sources who are also very familiar with the couple are saying when push came to shove, Jennifer made no mention of alcohol and gambling … her beef was that Ben wasn’t a “present husband.”
Fact is … Ben has had back-to-back film projects for several years, and spent much of his time out of town. The sources say Jen felt ignored and neglected, and they argued frequently over it.
These sources say this has nothing to do with Ben being a neglectful dad. Quite the opposite, they say he’s a great dad who does everything he can for the kids. And, we’re told, she didn’t really have any beef about his parenting skills … her problem was with Ben as a husband.
By their account, the breakup was mutual because Ben thought he was an awesome husband and it wasn’t enough for Jen. And fair enough – maybe it really is that simple, though I’m sure the boozing and gambling didn’t really help, especially since he was doing that shit during valuable time he could have been spending with her.
Page Six also had an update on how things will proceed:
A source close to the situation said Affleck and Garner are using a mediator to work out the divorce, noting, “This isn’t going to end up in a dramatic court case, they are trying to resolve it as quickly and easily as possible. Ben and Jennifer have been separated for more than six months. They have been seeing counselors for years. The situation is that people change and they grow apart.
“They plan to share custody and co-parent their kids.” Ben, who has been staying in hotels in recent months, will live on the property of their Brentwood marital home, but will not share the main house, we’re told.
Seems pretty cut and dry. It’s still early days, but it’s nice to see a difficult situation like this playing out without all the drama. Score for Bennifer II. The question is, will we see a revival on Bennifer I? I always thought he and Jennifer Lopez made a great couple!