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Jennifer Garner’s Vanity Fair Interview: 6 Most Shocking Revelations

Telisa Carter

March 2, 2016

Photo by Tyler Boye/WWD/REX/Shutterstock

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After months of remaining resolutely silent following the shocking news of her split from husband Ben Affleck, which was announced just one day after their 10th wedding anniversary, Jennifer Garner finally spoke out about the whole ordeal. As the cover star for Vanity Fair‘s March issue, Garner not only opened up for the first time since the news of the split and Ben’s rumored nanny affair, but was also extremely candid about everything, much more so than anyone expected her to be. She didn’t berate Affleck, but she also didn’t shy away from the tough topics and may have actually given away much more than she realized in her interview. Many are still pouring through the interview, finding out more and more along the way, but here are the 6 most shocking revelations from Garner’s chat with the magazine.

6. Disappointed In Herself

Garner is a very down-to-earth celebrity which means she holds her personal values way above the perceived lifestyle of celebrity life, and one of her saddest statements from the interview was how disappointed she was in herself for having two failed marriages, the first one being to Scott Foley. “I’m a pretty hard worker. It’s one of the pains in my life that something I believe in so strongly, I’ve completely failed at twice. My heart’s a little on the tender side right now, and it’s always easier to focus on the ways that you feel hurt, but I know that, with time and some perspective, I’ll have a clearer sense of where I let the system down, because there’s no way I get off in this.”

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5. She Is Still Hurting From the Breakup

Although she always appears strong and happy, the interview revealed that Garner is still very hurt and broken over the end of her relationship with Affleck, and admits she is still very much in the throws of heartache. “When the earth shakes, you go to what you know from childhood. All of a sudden I’m sitting down at the piano. I went back to church. I sat down and wrote bad poetry all day because I was so sad. I needed a dance class; it reminded me of my fight scenes and how I missed that. I feel the need to be physical and I feel the need to punch someone. You know what I look forward to? I look forward to getting past the pity stage. I look forward to just having a sense of humor.”

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4. Shut It Out

Garner also commented on the fact she had been so silent and away from the spotlight after the divorce news, saying she couldn’t let the media affect something so huge in her life. “I turned on CNN one day and there we were. I just won’t do it anymore. I took a silent oath with myself last summer to really stay offline. I am totally clueless about all of it. Ben says, ‘Oh you just don’t care,’ and I say, ‘No, it’s the opposite.’ It hurts me so much, and I care so much. I cannot be driven by the optics of this. I cannot let anger or hurt be my engine. I need to move with the big picture always on my mind, and the kids first and foremost.”

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3. No Regrets

One of her most surprising statements was that she would marry Ben all over again and still refers to him as the love of her life. “I didn’t marry the big fat movie star; I married him. And I would go back and remake that decision. I ran down the beach to him, and I would again. You can’t have three babies and so much of what we had. He’s the love of my life. What am I going to do about that? He’s the most brilliant person in any room, the most charismatic, the most generous.” She then touched on something that had always been in the whispers about Ben Affleck, the “other side” of him. “He’s just a complicated guy. I always say, ‘When his sun shines on you, you feel it.’ But when the sun is shining elsewhere, it’s cold. He can cast quite a shadow.”

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2. No Hate

Given everything that was said following the news of their split, many turned on Ben Affleck who had had a bad-boy reputation for years which seemingly went away when he started a family with Garner, or so most thought. Regardless of it all Garner says she is not going to be one of those people turning on him. “People have pain- they do regrettable things. They feel shame, and shame equals pain. No one needs to hate him for me. I don’t hate him. Certainly we don’t have to beat the guy up.” She then added something very telling about the ways of Affleck, “Don’t worry- my eyes were wide open during the marriage. I’m taking good care of myself.”

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1. Nannygate Confirmation

Shortly after their split, the media went wild with reports that Ben Affleck had been sleeping with the family’s former nanny Christine Ouzounian, who promptly milked the attention for all it was worth, but Affleck continued to strictly deny the rumors. It all seemed very plausible however and in an interesting twist, Garner seemed to confirm the scandal, or at the least didn’t deny it. “Let me just tell you something. We had been separated for months before I ever heard about the nanny. She had nothing to do with our decision to divorce. She was not a part of the equation. Bad judgement? Yes. It’s not great for your kids for [a nanny] to disappear from their lives. I have had to have conversations about the meaning of ‘scandal.’

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Telisa Carter

Telisa enjoys learning and writing about all things entertainment in the world of Hollywood. When she isn't catching up on her favorite TV shows, she likes to read, and obsess over all things football.