Jennifer Lopez Gets Real About Her 'Second Chance' With Ben Affleck

By Anna Rumer

Jennifer Lopez is opening up about her "second chance" with Ben Affleck as the two find themselves happier than ever after reconnecting last spring. The Marry Me star, 52, told PEOPLE in a new interview that she feels "so lucky and happy and proud" to be with Affleck, adding, "It's a beautiful love story that we got a second chance."

Getting back together in 2021 after calling off their previous engagement in 2004, Lopez admitted there was "a little bit of fear," explaining, "Before we kind of put [our relationship] out there and we were naïve and it got a little trampled." This time around, she said, "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."

The Hustlers star continued that she feels "happy and lucky" to be in a relationship like theirs and wants to do everything she can to protect that. "It deserves that, it really does. ... We hold it sacred," she explained. Reuniting with her love nearly two decades after their first go at a romance feels "very different," which the Grammy winner thinks is "beautiful."

"There's more of an appreciation and a celebration for it, which is nice," Lopez said. "When you find somebody and you really, really love them and you get a second chance at that? That is a really rare, precious, beautiful thing and we don't take it for granted." While it can be delicate getting into a new relationship as a parent, the mother of 13-year-old twins Max and Emme hasn't held back with her capacity to love.

I honestly believe that love rules all. Love always conquers everything – relationships, kids, work, work relationships," she shared. "It's all about how loving, open and accepting you can be. Not having an ego about things and just embracing all the good, always looking at the positive. ...When you're in a good, healthy relationship, everybody benefits from that. Everybody."

Lopez also praised Affleck for putting in the emotional work to become a better partner over the years. "I'm so proud of him, I'm so proud of the man he's become that I've watched from afar. Being honest with each other, being loving, that's just the basis of everything," she said. "I feel like he's at a place in his life where – just like how I feel about myself – it's been a journey of learning yourself and figuring yourself out, getting to a place where you feel really good on your own and who you are so you can be in a happy, healthy relationship."

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