Ben Affleck Admits Jennifer Garner Divorce Is the ‘Biggest Regret of My Life’: Revelations From His ‘New York Times’ Interview

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Ben Affleck Admits Jennifer Garner Divorce Is the ‘Biggest Regret of My Life’: Revelations From His 'New York Times' Interview

Finally telling all. Ben Affleck came clean about his split from Jennifer Garner, his relapse and more in a revealing interview with The New York Times. The Argo star, 47, is preparing to make a triumphant return to the big screen in The Way Back, a sports drama that puts a basketball coach's struggle with addiction front and center. Familiar with facing demons of his own, Affleck was drawn to the film for its realistic portrayal of the road to recovery. “I drank relatively normally for a long time," the now-sober actor told the publication. "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." [jwplayer unbeWEs9-l3ahXupL] Affleck and Jennifer Garner split in June 2015 after 10 years of marriage and finalized their divorce in October 2018. The 13 Going On 30 star, 47, and Good Will Hunting actor share three children, Violet, 14, Seraphina, 10, and Samuel, 7. "The biggest regret of my life is this divorce," Affleck revealed. "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." Throughout his struggle with addiction, the Justice League star has received the continued support of his ex-wife. Affleck completed his third stint in rehab in October 2018 after checking in the previous August. Following a "slipup" in his path to sober living in October 2019, an insider told Us that Garner "does everything she can to keep it together." "She wants Ben to be in the kids’ lives. That means dealing with things she isn’t happy about," the source added. "Jen’s major sticking point is that Ben needs to be sober — and truthful about it. There’s no wiggle room on that as far as his relationship with his kids goes." Garner, for her part, has found "a true partner" in her boyfriend, John Miller. The couple began dating in 2018 and the businessman has been "a rock" for the Camping alum ever since, especially amid Affleck's relapse. Scroll down for more revelations from Affleck's New York Times interview. [podcast_block]

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His Divorce

"The biggest regret of my life is this divorce," he explained, referencing the end of his marriage to Garner. "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. ... It’s not particularly healthy for me to obsess over the failures — the relapses — and beat myself up. 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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His Support System

The Oscar winner credits other sober Hollywood stars, like Bradley Cooper and Robert Downey Jr., as "guys who have been very supportive and to whom I feel a great sense of gratitude." Cooper has been open about his struggle with alcoholism and stopped drinking when he was 29. The Iron Man star, for his part, has battled drug addiction for decades and has been sober since 2003.

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His Relapse

"Relapse is embarrassing, obviously," he said about his brief slip in October 2019 after just over one year of sobriety. "I wish it didn’t happen. I really wish it wasn’t on the internet for my kids to see. Jen and I did our best to address it and be honest."

He added, "One of the things about recovery that I think people sometimes overlook is the fact that it inculcates certain values. Be honest. Be accountable. Help other people. Apologize when you’re wrong."

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His Back Tattoo

When photos of Affleck's notorious back tattoo first emerged in 2015, no one could quite figure out if it was real. For years, the actor himself repeated that it was just for a movie — not a permanent feature on his body. In March 2019, he finally came clean about his very real (and very large) ink of a phoenix rising from the ashes.

"I resented that somebody got a picture of it by spying on me," Affleck told The Times. "It felt invasive. But you’re right. I could have said, 'That’s none of your business.' I guess I got a kick out of messing with Extra. 'Is your tattoo real or not real?' Of course, it’s real! No, I put a fake tattoo on my back and then hid it."

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His Upbringing

"My dad didn't really get sober until I was 19," the Gone Girl actor revealed. "The older I’ve gotten, the more I recognize that my dad did the best he could. There’s a lot of alcoholism and mental illness in my family. The legacy of that is quite powerful and sometimes hard to shake. ... It took me a long time to fundamentally, deeply, without a hint of doubt, admit to myself that I am an alcoholic."