'He was my first big heartbreak': Jennifer Lopez reveals her pain over Ben Affleck a decade after their split 

By Laurel Brown for MailOnline

Published: 19:12 EST, 31 October 2014 | Updated: 20:31 EST, 31 October 2014

It has been a decade since Jennifer Lopez and Ben Affleck ended their romance, but Jennifer still considers Ben to be her first true love.

The 45-year-old reveals in a new interview her pain over the split, which she sees as a defining moment in her life.

 'It was probably my first big heartbreak,' the singer told Maria Shriver on an upcoming episode of The Today Show. 

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Moving on: Jennifer has been single since her June breakup from Casper Smart, while Ben later married actress Jennifer Garner
Moving on: Jennifer has been single since her June breakup from Casper Smart, while Ben later married actress Jennifer Garner

The first cut is the deepest: Jennifer Lopez admitted that Ben Affleck was her first big heartbreak in new interview a decade after their split

When asked about Jennifer's quick move from breaking up with Affleck in January 2004 and marrying Marc Anthony in June 2004, Lopez said that she needed someone to turn to.

'To have one of my best friends who I'd known for years, who I actually love and did have chemistry with, come into my life and say, "I'm here."' she said of ex husband Marc.

Adding: 'What you need to know is, nobody can save you or heal you. Only you can do that for you.'

Although the couple did have two children together - twins Max and Emme, now six - the marriage didn't last. 

Love's end: Jennifer and Ben pictured in 2002, before their split in 2004

Love's end: Jennifer and Ben pictured in 2002, before their split in 2004

The perfect couple: Co-starring in films like 2003's Gigli, Bennifer seemed to be the perfect couple

The perfect couple: Co-starring in films like 2003's Gigli, Bennifer seemed to be the perfect couple

JLo explained her feelings regarding her past relationships with Shriver with the interview scheduled to air on The Today Show on November 3 and 4.

The interview will centre around 45-year-old Lopez's memoir, True Love.

Meanwhile, on Friday Lopez  told Meredith Viera: 'At the end of the day when I said [it wasn't right], I kind of wished he'd been like, No way. But he knew it too, and he was like, Okay... and that's what happened.'

Lopez and Anthony announced they were splitting in July 2011.

Sad ending: Despite a planned wedding in 2003, Jennifer and Ben divorced months after that postponed date

Sad ending: Despite a planned wedding in 2003, Jennifer and Ben divorced months after that postponed date

Rebound: A few months after calling off her engagement to Ben, Jennifer married Marc Anthony in June 2004

Rebound: A few months after calling off her engagement to Ben, Jennifer married Marc Anthony in June 2004

When she got together with Affleck back in 2002, Lopez was already twice-divorced - having previously married waiter Ojani Noa and back-up dancer Cris Judd.

But Ben was apparently a different story, and the couple planned to marry in September 2003 before postponing their wedding.

The relationship ended only a few months later.

Kids: Although they have since divorced, Jennifer and Marc had twin children Emme and Max together

Kids: Although they have since divorced, Jennifer and Marc had twin children Emme and Max together

In her Meredith Vieira Show interview, Lopez blamed her failed romances on an attraction to passion instead of sustainability.

'As cool as it is in the beginning, it has to sustain beyond that,' Jennifer said when explaining why such relationships often ended.

For now however, the singer, actress, and American Idol host is single, having broken up with her most recent boyfriend, Casper Smart in June 2014.

 

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