After three years of separation, Ben Affleck and Jennifer Garner have finalised their divorce.
People reports the couple met at Garner’s home on Thursday, one day after Affleck checked out of a 40-day stay in rehab for alcohol addiction (and the week before the premiere of Garner’s new HBO show, Camping).
Per Garner’s request, a private judge joined them and their lawyers to handle all the final details and documents.
This has been a years-long process for Affleck and Garner, who faced intense tabloid gossip and rumours throughout. “The scrutiny in your private life puts a pressure to make something happen,” Garner told CBS Sunday Morning earlier this year. “If there is any inkling of trouble, or if the tabloids decide there’s trouble, it can create trouble.”
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The couple announced their divorce in 2015, after 10 years of marriage, and officially filed paperwork last year. According to Vulture, Garner reportedly asked to hold off on any final decision-making until Affleck was sober, including making any custody arrangements for their children.
Garner has been a crucial supporter of her now ex-husband’s recovery efforts. Over the summer, she was spotted driving Affleck to a treatment centre in Malibu. It was Affleck’s third admission to rehab after stints in 2001 and 2017; after finishing the program in March 2017, Affleck wrote on Facebook, “I'm lucky to have the love of my family and friends, including my co-parent, Jen, who has supported me and cared for our kids as I've done the work I set out to do.”
Garner and Affleck have co-parented their three kids — 12-year-old Violet, nine-year-old Seraphina, and six-year-old Samuel — since they split. In the past week, the family was spotted leaving church and attending a school function.
As for their love lives, Garner and Affleck are each figuring it out on their own. In the time since their separation, Garner has gone on the record saying she’s not into dating right now. Affleck has been romantically linked to Saturday Night Live producer Lindsay Shookus and, most recently, Playboy model Shauna Sexton, who was seen with Affleck throughout his past month and a half in rehab.