Ben Affleck says feeling ‘trapped’ in marriage to Jennifer Garner was ‘part of why’ he started drinking

‘Both of us felt like we don’t want this to be the model that our kids see of marriage’

Ben Affleck has said that feeling “trapped” in his marriage to Jennifer Garner was “part of why” he started drinking.

During an episode of The Howard Stern Show that aired on Tuesday (14 December), Affleck candidly discussed his personal relationships and their impact on the three children he has with Garner.

On why he split from the Alias actor, Affleck said: “We had a marriage that didn’t work. This happens. It was somebody I love and respect but to whom I shouldn’t be married any longer.”

Despite that, Affleck continued, the actors tried to salvage their relationship for the sake of their children – daughters Violet, 16, Seraphina, 12, and nine-year-old son Samuel.

“I was like, ‘I can’t leave because of my kids, but I’m not happy, what do I do?’ And what I did was [I] drank a bottle of scotch and fell asleep on the couch, which turned out not to be the solution,” he said.

“But both of us felt like we don’t want this to be the model that our kids see of marriage,” the actor told Stern.

Underscoring that he and Garner made the right choice by ending their marriage, Affleck said: “We’d probably be at each other’s throats.

“I’d probably still be drinking. Part of why I started drinking alcohol was because I felt trapped.”

Affleck has since criticised the media for taking his words “out of context”.

The two-time Oscar winner went into rehab for alcoholism in 2018.

Affleck and Garner first confirmed their relationship in 2004 and got married the year after. The Hollywood A-listers got divorced in 2018.

Affleck is currently dating his ex-fiancee Jennifer Lopez, after the pair confirmed their high-profile romance in June this year.

The Justice League actor has previously called his divorce from Garner “the biggest regret of his life”.

During a 2015 interview with Vanity Fair, Garner said Affleck was the love of her life but their marriage was not without problems.

“When his [Affleck’s] sun shines on you, you feel it. But when the sun is shining elsewhere, it’s cold,” she told the publication.

“He can cast quite a shadow.”

If you or someone you know is suffering from alcohol addiction, you can confidentially call the national alcohol helpline Drinkline on 0300 123 1110 or visit the NHS website here for information about the programmes available to you.