Jennifer Garner Breaks Silence On Ben Affleck And Nanny Scandal, Refuses To ‘Be The Ashes’
Jennifer Garner has remained silent in regards to her split from actor Ben Affleck and his alleged affair with the couple’s former nanny to their 3 children, Christine Ouzounian.
“Let me just tell you something. We had been separated for months before I ever heard about the nanny. She had nothing to with our decision to divorce. She was not a part of the equation.”
The 43-year-old actress did not stop at that, but continued to relay what it was like for her and her family when she and Ben announced their split in June 2015, bringing a nearly 10-year marriage to an end. Admitting it was too difficult to watch the media frenzy about her family, Garner decided to shut off and tune out from all media outlets while enduring the difficult time.
“I turned on CNN one day and there we were. I just won’t do it anymore. I took a silent oath to myself last summer to really stay offline. I am totally clueless about all of it. Ben says, ‘Oh, you just don’t care,’ and I say, ‘No, it’s the opposite.’ It hurts me so much, and I care so much.”
In regards to “nanny-gate,” Garner admitted it was not a pleasant situation for her and her three children. Entertainment Tonight relays the star’s words shared during the interview with VF.
“‘[N]annygate’ wasn’t easy, especially for Violet, 10, Seraphina, 7, and Sam, 4. Bad judgment? Yes. It’s not great for your kids for [a nanny] to disappear from their lives. I have had to have conversations [with my children] about the meaning of ‘scandal.'”
The news of the split back in June of last year sparked a media frenzy around the couple who was simply adored by fans. Talk of a pending split had been making the rounds for months leading up to the release of the couple’s statement indicating that they were in fact divorcing.
In regards to her ex, Jen makes it known that her marriage to the star was very real and that she was married to Ben Affleck the man, not the movie star. Her words about her ex indicate just how much she loved, and still loves, him, but also indicate what it was that brought the marriage to an end.
“I didn’t marry a movie star; I married him. And I would go back and remake that decision. I ran down the beach to him, and I would again. You can’t have these three babies and so much of what we had. He’s the love of my life. What am I going to say about that? He’s the most brilliant person in any room, the most charismatic, the most generous.”
“When his sun shines on you, you feel it. But when the sun is shining elsewhere, it’s cold. He can cast quite a shadow.”
“The main thing is these kids — and we’re completely in line with what we hope for them,” she insists. “Sure, I lost a dream of dancing with my husband at my daughter’s wedding. But you should see their faces when he walks through the door. And if you see your kids love someone so purely and wholly, then you’re going to be friends with that person.”
Jen finally alludes to a post-split tattoo that Affleck received that pictures a Phoenix rising from ashes. Garner shares, “I refuse to be the ashes.”
[Photo by Cooper Neill/Getty Images for Allied Integrated Marketing]
