Jennifer Garner Reportedly ‘Touched’ by Ex Ben Affleck’s Honesty Following ‘Regret’ Comment

Jennifer Garner is reportedly “touched” by Ben Affleck‘s recent revelation that his biggest regret is divorcing the Love, Simon actress. Affleck has been openly discussing his personal demons this past week, ahead of the release of his new movie The Way Back and amid his ongoing sobriety battle. In one of the interviews, Affleck said he never wanted to divorce Garner, with whom he shares three children.

Garner “is touched by his honesty,” a source close to the actress told InTouch Weekly. “She’s impressed he’s taken ownership of his mistakes and sees it as a sign that he’s made huge progress.”

The insider said Garner is “proud of Ben for cleaning up his act,” adding how “it’s been a long hard process, but he’s finally on the straight and narrow, and she’s proud of him for staying strong.”

Affleck and Garner met while making Daredevil and were married for a decade before their 2015 split. Their divorce was finalized in 2018. They are parents to Violet, 14; Seraphina, 11; and Samuel, 7.

In his interview with the New York Times, Affleck called their divorce his “biggest regret.” The marriage began to go south when he started drinking more often.

“I drank relatively normally for a long time,” Affleck explained. “What happened was that I started drinking more and more when my marriage was falling apart. This was 2015, 2016. My drinking, of course, created more marital problems.”

“The biggest regret of my life is this divorce,” he continued. “Shame is really toxic. There is no positive by-product of shame. It’s just stewing in a toxic, hideous feeling of low-self worth and self-loathing.”

In another interview with ABC News‘ Diane Sawyer, Affleck thanked Garner for being by his side and supporting him through his struggles, even after the split, through a written note shared with the iconic anchor.

“What I want to say publicly and privately is, ‘Thank you. Thank you for being thoughtful, considerate, responsible, and a great mom and person,” Sawyer read.

Affleck’s new movie, The Way Back, hits theaters on March 6. The actor plays a former high school basketball player now struggling through alcoholism and is offered a chance to coach his alma mater.

“It’s not particularly healthy for me to obsess over the failures — the relapses — and beat myself up,” Affleck said in his Times interview. “I have certainly made mistakes. I have certainly done things that I regret. But you’ve got to pick yourself up, learn from it, learn some more, try to move forward.”

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