Jennifer Lopez and Ben Affleck 'Both Have PTSD' From Their Early 2000s Relationship

Jennifer Lopez is getting candid about how her past relationship with Ben Affleck affected their current marriage.

In a new tell-all interview, the Latin superstar, 54, revealed she and her husband, 51, still feel the reverberations from the demise of their early 2000s romance but have worked to heal from the heartache.

"We both have PTSD," Lopez admitted about the risk of documenting their love story in her new "This Is Me… Now" album and companion film after suffering intense public scrutiny before their 2004 breakup.

"But we're older now. We're wiser. We also know what's important, what's really important in life, and it's not so much what other people think. It's about being true to who you are," the "Get Right" singer noted.

Lopez revealed many people advised against using her marriage to Affleck as the inspiration for her music. However, the Maid in Manhattan star felt she had to express her feelings.

"As artists, we have to follow our heart and this is me following my heart and doing something that maybe everybody didn't think was the best idea, but I had to do it," she explained of the album and movie. "You have to see it and you'll have to experience it to understand it. That's why I call it a 'musical experience.' Because there's music, you can see it, you can hear it, and then you'll get to live it."

In a preview for the project, Lopez — who was initially engaged to the Boston native from November 2002 until 2004 — romantically said, "When I was a little girl when someone asked me what I wanted to be when I grew up, my answer was always… in love."

As OK! previously reported, the chart-topper recently gushed over her current dynamic with her spouse and how deeply she trusts him. "We're real partners," Lopez — who wed Affleck in 2022 — said.

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"Not just in working together, but in life, as parents and as lovers. We discuss everything with each other," she continued. "I want his opinion. I trust him. I know he has the best intentions and has no agenda other than to see me shine as bright as I can and that's what I have for him too."

The "On The Floor" vocalist also noted how much the Argo actor has inspired her work. "When the music was done I just thought to myself, 'There's more of a story to be told here. There's been a bigger journey than just a love story here.' And so it became a much bigger, fuller project, with an incredible message," she noted.

Variety conducted the interview with Lopez.