THEY say the first love is the deepest – which might explain why so many of us end up going back to them. But I know from experience that you should never go back to an ex. I married my first boyfriend several years after we broke up, just like Jennifer Lopez, 54, and Ben Affleck , 51 — who married in 2022, 20 years after calling off their first engagement, and are now reportedly in the midst of another break up.
I met David* when we were just teenagers at college in my hometown, Birmingham. He was the first guy I had slept with and we experienced so many other firsts together too. We had enjoyed a steamy on-off relationship until our early 20s, when our young love ran its course and we split — only to reconnect several years later.
Our rollercoaster love story timeline was spookily similar to J- Lo and Ben’s . Their two-year romance was ignited in 2001 on the film set of Gigli, when Jennifer was 32 and Ben three years younger. It ended in 2004, but they reunited 17 years later in July 2021 and wed a year later.
Now rumours are swirling that their marriage has been over for months, with the couple living apart since March. I totally get why J-Lo fell for the fairytale of marriage and living happily ever after with Ben. When someone comes back into our lives, it is as if it is written in the stars.
I know I felt that way over the 20 years I was in and out of a relationship with my former flame. I’m 53 yet I can recall with absolute precision the day he asked me ou.
