Jennifer Lopez opened up about her romantic journey with Ben Affleck in a candid conversation on The Kyle And Jackie O Show, finally revealing why it took 18 years to reunite with her ex.

The couple, whose early 2000s romance and subsequent split made headlines, found their way back to each other nearly two decades later, leading to a Las Vegas wedding in July 2022.

Reflecting on their initial breakup in 2004, Jennifer, at 54, articulated the personal growth she and Ben, now 51, underwent in the intervening years.

“I fell in love with the love of my life [earlier in my life] and for whatever reasons that we needed to grow and do other things,” she shared.

This period of growth saw them both engaging in different relationships, and marriages and embracing parenthood with other partners.

Jennifer, who shares twins Max and Emme, 16, with ex Marc Anthony, and Ben, father to Violet, 18, and Seraphina, 15, from his marriage to Jennifer Garner, both found that their life experiences enriched them personally.