Ben and Jen back again? Affleck and Garner haven’t reconciled but are ‘giving things another try’
[Source: The Los Angeles Times]
Ben And Jen Back Again? Affleck And Garner Haven’t Reconciled But Are ‘Giving Things Another Try’ explains celebrity divorce lawyer Christopher C. Melcher.
Ben Affleck and Jennifer Garner have bounced back from a recent “strained period” during which she almost filed for divorce and are working on their relationship again, according to a Wednesday report.
They’re not back together, People reports, but a source described as close to Garner said the actress has backed off after nearly filing for divorce. “She really wants to work things out with Ben,” the source said. “They are giving things another try.”
The decision to keep working on it was a mutual one, a separate source said, adding, “There is always a chance of reconciliation.”
“It is … difficult to be in limbo about a relationship, not knowing if there will be a reconciliation or final split,” says family law attorney Christopher Melcher, whose top family law firm handled Katie Holmes’ divorce from Tom Cruise, told the Los Angeles Times on Wednesday.
“Celebrities have no privacy and rumors swirl about how they are dating now, making it much harder for the couple to maintain trust while they are working through the issues,” Melcher continued. “Ben and Jen have been going through that for two years and have managed to keep things civil, which is commendable for them as a couple and as parents.”
Despite the People report, an insider told E! News on Wednesday that “nothing has changed” between Affleck and Garner. “They are not back together. They are co-parenting. The most important thing in all of this are their kids.”
Shortly after announcing their split, in June 2015, Affleck and Garner were seeing a family counselor, and there has been no shortage of rumors about them officially ending it or officially getting back together. They’ve reportedly both been living in separate quarters at their Brentwood property for most of the time since their breakup, and have done things together as a family.
Regarding that recent strained period: Though a February tabloid report that Garner had gone ahead and filed for divorce from Affleck was debunked by Gossip Cop, People’s Garner source now seems to have offered an explanation for the rumor.
“Jen was telling friends that she plans on filing for divorce,” the source said. “She just wanted to move on and focus on the happy things in her life.”
Affleck and Garner, both 44, have three children together: 11-year-old daughter Violet, 8-year-old daughter Seraphina and son Samuel, who turned 5 at the end of February. To celebrate, People said, Mom and Dad cohosted a birthday party at home.
[UPDATED, 4:03 p.m.: This article was updated to include quotes from attorney Christopher Melcher and information from E! News.]
By CHRISTIE D’ZURILLA
