Jennifer Garner is shedding light on her split from ex-husband Ben Affleck. In an interview with Marie Claire UK, discussing her life now and the upcoming second season of her Apple TV+ drama, The Last Thing He Told Me, the 53-year-old actress recalled how "painful" it was to end her relationship with Affleck in 2015. "You have to be smart about what you can and can't handle, and I couldn't handle what was out there," she said, gesturing into the distance. "But what was out there wasn't as hard as the actual dissolution of our family. Losing a true partnership and friendship was the difficult part."
After her highly publicized breakup with Affleck, with whom she shares Violet Anne, Seraphina Rose, and Samuel, Garner sought solace in her community. "I make a concerted effort to see my people as much as I can, because that's what matters," she told Marie Claire. "Your resilience comes from your relationships and the people who support you."
The former couple split in 2015 after 10 years of marriage, officially divorcing three years later. In addition to teasing the second season of The Last Thing He Told Me (which co-stars Angourie Rice, Aisha Tyler, and Nikolaj Coster-Waldau), Garner shared her other current priorities: advocacy work with Save the Children US and Once Upon a Farm, and of course, her children.
"They're just so cool!" she said of Violet Anne, 20, Seraphina Rose, 17, and Samuel, 13. "Parenting has shifted now. It's more about letting them grow up and make their choices. You don't get to control it."
Garner, who is dating businessman John Miller, also said that co-parenting with Affleck has been "the hardest thing." Although not the hardest thing in the world, it has been tricky for her and her family. An exclusive source told PEOPLE that the star of the upcoming film The Rip (on Netflix Jan. 16) celebrated Christmas last month with Garner and their children. "Just like they celebrated Thanksgiving together, Ben is invited to celebrate Christmas with Jen and the kids too," the insider said. "They just have this nice routine now that works for everyone."
Season 2 of The Last Thing He Told Me will premiere on Apple TV+ on Feb. 20. Among Garner's other upcoming projects is the Peacock drama The Five-Star Weekend.
