Jennifer Lopez approached her decision to divorce from Ben Affleck with great care, a source exclusively tells PEOPLE.
After the singer, 55, filed for divorce from the actor, 52, on Tuesday, Aug. 20, a source tells PEOPLE that she came to the painful conclusion that “it’s time to move on” for various reasons.
“She’s very disappointed and sad, but Ben hasn’t given her any signs that he wants to continue their marriage. He hasn’t shown any commitment and interest in making their marriage work. It’s gotten to the point that she just needs to look out for herself,” says the source.
Multiple insiders confirmed to PEOPLE that the star filed for divorce from Affleck in the Los Angeles County Superior Court on the second anniversary of their wedding celebration in front of family and friends in Georgia.
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The Georgia ceremony occurred a month after the two officially tied the knot in an intimate ceremony in Las Vegas on July 17, 2022.
Lopez and Affleck rekindled their romance in April 2021 — years after they first dated and became engaged, before postponing a planned September 2003 wedding.
They later began making public appearances, including at the Venice Film Festival in September 2021 and making their romance Instagram official in July 2021.
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While Lopez noted that the two “had a little bit of fear” about dating in the limelight again while speaking to PEOPLE in February 2022, she said, “I feel so lucky and happy and proud to be with him. It’s a beautiful love story that we got a second chance.”
She expressed that their second shot at being together was different, noting: “We both were like, ‘Wow, we’re so happy and we don’t want any of that to come into play again.’ We’re older now, we’re smarter, we have more experience, we’re at different places in our lives, we have kids now, and we have to be very conscious of those things. We’re so protective because it is such a beautiful time for all of us.”
Their most recent split comes after the former couple spent the summer on different coasts.
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“They’re moving on separately. Jennifer is trying to find a new home to start fresh,” an insider told PEOPLE in early August, adding that she “hasn’t seen Ben for weeks.”
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“Considering everything that’s going on, Jennifer is having a good summer. She’s been off and able to focus on what’s next. She’s enjoyed spending time with her kids, family and friends. She always has good attitude even when things are not perfect,” the insider said.
