After recently calling his divorce from actress Jennifer Garner the “biggest regret” of his life, Ben Affleck is heaping further praise on the mother of his children.
Affleck and Garner, both 47, were together for 10 years before they officially divorced after a long separation in 2018. Affleck has been open in the past about his struggles with alcoholism contributing to problems within the marriage. Despite the divorce, the duo co-parent their three kids Violet, 14, Seraphina, 11, and Sam, 8.
“When you have children with somebody you’re connected to them forever,” Affleck told People in a recent interview. “And I’m very lucky she is the mother of my children.”
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The actor, who stars in the upcoming sports drama film “The Way Back” about a basketball coach struggling with alcoholism, got candid about his co-parenting relationship with Garner, noting that it was important to them both that their kids see them respecting each other.
“I’m very grateful and respectful of her,” he explained. “Our marriage didn’t work, and that’s difficult. Both of us really believe that it’s important for kids to see their parents respect one another and get along, whether they’re together or not.”
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He added: “My parents got divorced when I was young and I know how painful that is, and I knew that they [my kids] would have to go through that publicly. But kids are resilient. They appreciate the truth.”
In a recent interview with The New York Times, Affleck got even more candid about the end of his marriage.
“The biggest regret of my life is this divorce,” revealed Affleck, explaining that while he still feels guilt over the split, he's moved beyond the shame.
“Shame is really toxic. There is no positive byproduct of shame," he said. "It’s just stewing in a toxic, hideous feeling of low self-worth and self-loathing.”
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“It’s not particularly healthy for me to obsess over the failures — the relapses — and beat myself up,” the Oscar winner added. “I have certainly made mistakes. I have certainly done things that I regret. But you’ve got to pick yourself up, learn from it, learn some more, try to move forward.”