She cried tears of joy announcingher engagement to Ben Affleck earlier this month – 18 years after Hollywood’s golden couple, dubbed “Bennifer”, sensationally called off their wedding amid reports the actor got cold feet amid the huge global media interest.
Announcing the news on her website, Jennifer Lopez, 52, told fans, “I have an exciting and special story to share” alongside a sweet video of the emotional star showing off her emerald and diamond sparkler.
Jen and Ben, 49, sent the world into a frenzy when they reconciled last April – shortly after the On The Floor singer broke off her two-year engagement to former baseball star, Alex Rodriguez, 46, following a string of cheating allegations, which he has neither confirmed or denied.
And after ending their whirlwind two-year romance in 2004 due to “excessive media attention” surrounding their upcoming nuptials, pals say the couple are set to elope to a paradise island location for a more private celebration to avoid history repeating itself.
A source says, “Jen’s adamant they won’t let the stress of their wedding tear them apart like it did almost two decades ago – insisting they’ve learnt from their mistakes and won’t risk putting their second chance at happiness in jeopardy.”
Ben shares daughters Violet, 16, Seraphina, 13, and 10-year-old son Samuel with ex-wife Jennifer Garner, while thrice-divorced J-Lo has 14-year-old twins, Max and Emme, with ex-husband Marc Anthony, 53. And while they have enjoyed flaunting their romance across the globe since reconciling, pals say Jen and Ben want to keep their big day as private as possible and ensure they and their celeb pals can celebrate away from prying eyes.
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The source says, “Jen and Ben have a lot of close A-list pals they want to invite, so a private island is the perfect way to avoid it turning into a huge fanfare.
“Jen’s friends include Cameron Diaz, Kate Hudson and Kim Kardashian, while Ben’s BFFs include Matt Damon and Bradley Cooper, so it’s going to be a very star-studded guest list.
“Jen’s adamant she doesn’t want to compromise having a huge party, so this way they can have everything they want and avoid history repeating itself.”