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Jennifer Garner Didn’t Kiss Anyone for Eight Months After Ben Affleck Split: Is She Dating Now?

Her lips were supersealed. Jennifer Garner revealed to Vanity Fair in her no-holds-barred March 2016 cover story that she didn’t kiss anyone for eight months after splitting from Ben Affleck until she had to — for work.

The Miracles From Heaven actress, 43, recalled shooting a love scene for her upcoming film Wakefield, but at the time, Garner was rusty when it came to locking lips.

“When you haven’t been kissed for over eight months, it’s strange,” she told the mag. “But it’s my job. It’s nine in the morning and you think, ‘I could really use a shot of alcohol.’ Then, after a take or two, after everyone has seen your boobs and love handles, you just want to take every crew member and be like, ‘Please have mercy on me!’”

Related: PHOTOS: Celebrity Splits of 2015

The actress jokingly described the period after her split as a “year of wine.” But she also reached for her roots to get through the difficult time.

Related: PHOTOS: Better After Breakup!

“When the earth shakes, you go to what you know from childhood,” the actress told VF. “All of a sudden I’m sitting down at the piano. I went back to church. I sat down and wrote bad poetry all day because I was so sad. I needed a dance class; it reminded me of my fight scenes [in Alias] and how I missed that. I feel the need to be physical, and I feel the need to punch someone. You know what I look forward to? I look forward to getting past the pity stage. I look forward to just having a sense of humor.”

Ben Affleck and Jennifer Garner
Ben Affleck and Jennifer Garner attend the 2nd annual Save the Children Illumination Gala at the Plaza Hotel on November 19, 2014 in New York City. Jim Spellman/WireImage.com

Garner and Affleck confirmed to Us Weekly on June 30, 2015, that they were splitting after 10 years of marriage and three kids. The subsequent months were brutal, Garner recalled to VF, including when her ex started filming his upcoming movie Live by Night in October.

“I wasn’t part of it,” Garner said. “It was starting, and it was a hard day for me. I got the kids to school, and I went home and went to bed. I haven’t had a lot of those days.”

Related: PHOTOS: Ben Affleck and Jennifer Garner: The Way They Were

The actress also shared how friends, family members and even strangers expressed how they want the A-listers to reconcile — though that wouldn’t have been simple. “It was a real marriage. It wasn’t for the cameras. And it was a huge priority for me to stay in it. And that did not work,” Garner shared. “When Jen Aniston and Brad Pitt broke up, I was dying to see something that said they were getting back together.”

Jennifer Garner on the cover of 'Vanity Fair'
Jennifer Garner on the cover of ‘Vanity Fair’ Patrick Demarchelier

Despite their failed marriage, Garner told VF that she and Affleck still remain close. “Of course this is not what I imagined when I ran down the beach, but it is where I am,” she said. “We still have to help each other get through this. He’s still the only person who really knows the truth about things. And I’m still the only person that knows some of his truths.”

She acknowledged, though, that it’s up to her to move on. “It’s not Ben’s job to make me happy,” Garner mused. “The main thing is these kids — and we’re completely in line with what we hope for them. Sure, I lost the 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.”

Related: PHOTOS: Celebrity Splits of 2015

It’s possible she’ll eventually find someone to dance with. Garner recalled one incident when a fellow airline passenger asked her out on a date. 

“We were waiting for the bathroom at JetBlue, and I was so floored,” Garner shared. “I had to remind myself that that was something that could happen. He said, ‘Could I take you for a cup of coffee?’ And I was like, ‘No! You may not take me for a cup of coffee, sir.’ And then I said, ‘But thanks for asking.’”

If she dates, expect it to be very traditional. “I guess. I don’t know,” she said. “It’s just that [from] everyone that I know that is dating, it just seems, well. Men don’t call anymore…. I want flowers; I don’t want to text. What does that make me? What kind of dinosaur am I?”

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