Marc Anthony: I'll Always Love Jennifer

MAY 23, 2011: Jennifer Lopez and her husband singer Mark Anthony pose at Simon Fuller's Hollywood Walk of Fame star presentation ceremony at Hollywood & Vine in Los Angeles, Calif. (2011 Getty Images)

To hear Marc Anthony tell it, he's not a control freak, he supported his superstar wife's career, and he still loves Jennifer Lopez – and always will!

That's what the Puerto Rican singer told ABC News in an interview that is scheduled to air Thursday evening on Nightline. After holding his tongue for weeks since the couple dropped a bombshell and called it quits, Marc Anthony is now opening up about the split heard 'round the Latino world.

"People are trying to peg it on things because it was so shocking. It was like, it must have been something…It wasn't something sensationalistic," he said.

Beyond the celebrity, Marc Anthony said, like any failed marriage, it was just over.

"It was a realization on both our parts… It wasn't shocking. These things happen," he said.

Marc Anthony and Lopez had been married for seven years and have twins together. The two performed together in May on the finale of "American Idol," an act that belied the unraveling of their relationship.

Still, the New York-bred singer said the split wouldn't affect his parenting.

"I'm always going to be Daddy… And they're used to me traveling and Jennifer traveling and, you know, we speak all the time, and try to maintain that presence," Anthony said.

And it's not just parenting. Marc Anthony said he wants maintain a healthy relationship with his ex-wife and remains, shall we say, fond of her.

"I'll always love Jennifer," he said. "I'll always love Jennifer. She knows that.

"Jennifer's a wonderful, wonderful woman, a wonderful mother, a wonderful friend, you know," he added. "We understand this to be a long story. This is not a short story."

As for the breakup, Marc Anthony didn't go into specifics. He did, however, say that it wasn't – as it's been reported – that was controlling and jealous of Lopez's success.

"I think anybody will tell you how I supported her, from day one," he said. "I'm really, really happy for her. … We're going to be in each other's lives for many, many, many years, and I'm glad that our friendship is that strong. … What would make it difficult is if we didn't get along.

"Being Puerto Rican, born and raised on the streets of New York, you go, 'Wow, you're still friends with your ex, man? Really? That's weird,'" he added. "I don't play that."

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