Jen and Ben: Did JLO Cause The Struggling Marriage To End?

Details emerging in the backdrop of Ben Affleck - Jennifer Garner divorce announcement suggest that the marriage was on rocks for the last few years.

According to Design & Trend, the couple nearly split just before their son Sam was born in 2012. The child patched the relationship for a bit which later continued to sour. The couple were in therapy for years, a source said.

People quoted a source close to the couple saying that the actors' contrasting characters caused them to drift. That Affleck's involvement with his career made him stay away from home leaving Garner with the kids, has now become oft-cited reason for the split. That notwithstanding, friends of Affleck have rallied behind him to claim that he is a good dad and wanted to keep the relationship working for his children.

And then there are rumors that the other Jennifer (Lopez) had a role to play in the divorce. According to The Economic Times Affleck and his former fiancé, singer and actress Jennifer Lopez stayed in touch. They were reportedly spotted flirting at the Oscars, which did not go down well with Garner.

Garner, 43 and Affleck 42, are reportedly keeping the divorce out of courts to amicably settle differences in the interest of their three children.

"After much thought and careful consideration, we have made the difficult decision to divorce. We go forward with love and friendship for one another and a commitment to co-parenting our children whose privacy we ask to be respected during this difficult time. This will be our only comment on this private, family matter. Thank you for understanding," the separated couple said in a statement to E! News.