Ron Wolfson /Landov Jennifer Garner beat Ben Affleck to the punch.
While the Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice star has yet to discuss his divorce in the press, Jennifer speaks openly about the demise of their 10-year marriage in the pages of Vanity Fair's March 2016 issue. Ben had a bit of a bad boy reputation when they first got together after meeting on the set of the movie Daredevil, but Jennifer saw him for who he truly was. "I didn't marry the big fat movie star; I married him," she tells the magazine. "And I would go back and remake that decision. I ran down the beach to him, and I would again. You can't have these three babies and so much of what we had. He's the love of my life. What am I going to do about that? He's the most brilliant person in any room, the most charismatic, the most generous."
Ben's dark side, however, can make a person forget all those wonderful things. "He's just a complicated guy," she says. "I always say, 'When his sun shines on you, you feel it.' But when the sun is shining elsewhere, it's cold. He can cast quite a shadow."
After announcing their plans to divorce last June, the twice-married actress was beside herself. "Of course this is not what I imagined when I ran down the beach, but it is where I am," she says. "We still have to help each other get through this. He's still the only person who really knows the truth about things. And I'm still the only person that knows some of his truths."
Victor Garber, who officiated the couple's elopement in 2005, says they have handled the breakup as amicably as any two people could. "As difficult as this time is, as sad as this time is, I think there is a great love between them," he tells Vanity Fair, "and that will always be there."
Adjusting to life as a single mom has been easy thanks to her good relationship with Ben. Jennifer still lives in the family's Pacific Palisades home with Violet Affleck, 10, Seraphina Affleck, 7, and Sam Affleck, 4, while Ben lives in the guest house. She feels more independent than ever, and now that the dust has settled, stronger, too. "It's not Ben's job to make me happy. The main thing is these kids—and we're completely in line with what we hope for them," the Miracles From Heaven star says. "Sure, I lost the dream of dancing with my husband at my daughter's wedding. But you should see their faces when he walks through the door. And if you see your kids love someone so purely and wholly, then you're going to be friends with that person."