Jennifer Garner ‘Surprised’ Ben Affleck Said He Regrets Their Divorce: She’s ‘Touched By His Honesty’

After Ben Affleck revealed his “biggest regret” is getting a divorce from Jennifer Garner, the actress “was surprised” by the revelation, a source tells In Touch exclusively. She “is touched by his honesty. She’s impressed he’s taken ownership of his mistakes and sees it as a sign that he’s made huge progress.”

The former flames — who announced their split in 2015 and finalized their divorce in 2018 — have remained friendly over the years, and Jennifer, 47, is “proud of Ben for cleaning up his act,” the insider adds. “It’s been a long hard process, but he’s finally on the straight and narrow, and she’s proud of him for staying strong.”

The Good Will Hunting alum, 47, told The New York Times he started relying on alcohol when his marriage to the brunette beauty “was falling apart” in 2015 to 2016. “My drinking, of course, created more marital problems,” he told the outlet in an interview published on February 18.

Even though the Hollywood A-listers — who share Violet, 14, Seraphina, 11, and Samuel, 7 — are frequently spotted out and about together, the Argo star said he still feels “guilt” over how they couldn’t make their relationship work. “Shame is really toxic. There is no positive byproduct of shame. It’s just stewing in a toxic, hideous feeling of low self-worth and self-loathing.”

In October 2019, Ben admitted he relapsed after he appeared drunk at the UNICEF Masquerade Ball in West Hollywood. At the time, the producer fessed up to his mistakes, and his ex was less than thrilled with the situation. Jen tried to be “sympathetic” with Ben, but overall, she was disappointed he had a “slip up,” a second source previously told In Touch.

Looking back, Ben revealed the incident was “embarrassing.” He added, “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.”

Despite the ups and the downs, the dad of three is looking forward to what the future holds. “It’s not particularly healthy for me to obsess over the failures — the relapses — and beat myself up,” he noted. “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.”

It’s great to see Ben and Jen there for each other through the good and bad times.