Dating Jennifer Lopez really did a number on Ben Affleck. The actor has spoken out about his high-profile relationship with former girlfriend Jennifer Lopez, insisting media coverage of the romance nearly ended his film career.

The actor began dating the singer-actress shortly after the two appeared together in the 2002 box office flop Gigli. The couple later became engaged only to split up shortly before their scheduled wedding in 2004.

Affleck now is emphatic that he never should have got involved with the two-time divorcee in the first place because the publicity surrounding their romance was bad for his acting career.

“I was no longer in control of my life. I thought I wanted certain things, but I didn’t. I got lost. I felt suffocated, miserable and gross. I should never have gone down that route or got sucked in to all the publicity,” he said.

He added, “I was typecast as myself. Too many people weren’t getting past what they read about me. That was damaging. I can tell from experience it’s bad for you, and bad for your career. So I took a break, went away for a while and let things calm down.”

Ben later married Alias actress Jennifer Garner; they have two daughters, three-year-old Violet and six-month-old Seraphina. Jennifer Lopez also went on to wed again. She has one-year-old fraternal twins with third husband Marc Anthony.

As Ben Affleck returns to the silver screen in the new thriller State of Play, rumors have emerged that the actor-activist’s wife of four years has begun seeing someone else.

And that “someone else” is none other than noted sex therapist Dr. Holly Hein.

Jennifer Garner –who gave birth to her second daughter with Ben earlier this year–has been spotted leaving the doc’s office several times in recent weeks, Star Magazine claims.

“Jennifer has had some ups and downs with Ben, and she likes to check in with Dr. Hein once in a while,” says a tipster. “Jennifer doesn’t want to lose him. She’s in this for the long haul.”

The pair discuss ways of keeping Ben and Jen’s romance alive, as well as tips Jen can use for “dealing with Ben’s need for attention.”

The insider added, “Ben’s great, but he can be very insecure. He likes Jen to play the devoted wife all the time.”

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On Thursday’s TODAY, Ben Affleck chats about his role as a congressman in the new thriller, State of Play.

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The star of the box office hit He’s Just Not That Into You, who took Nightline on a trip to the area last year, wrote the article to draw even additional attention to the embattled region of Africa.

“I’ve been traveling to Congo since 2007 to learn…” Ben began the nearly 1,000-word essay, titled “A Glimmer of Hope In Africa.”

“The warring parties in the east can be distilled into three main groups: the Congolese army; a breakaway faction composed mainly of Tutsis, led by a former general, Laurent Nkunda; and an outlaw militia, the Democratic Liberation Forces of Rwanda (FDLR), led by the same Interahamwe Hutu extremists who committed the 1994 genocide of Tutsis in neighboring Rwanda.”

To read the rest of Ben’s essay, visit Time.com.

It is Seraphina Rose Elizabeth Affleck, a rep for PEOPLE Magazine confirmed on Tuesday.

Seraphina was born in Los Angeles’ Cedars-Sinai Medical Center on January 6 . The couple already has a 3-year-old daughter named Violet.

What do you think of the name “Seraphina?”

Jennifer Garner and Ben Affleck are celebrating parenthood for the second time.

The actress, best known for her role as CIO Agent Sydney Bristow on the now defunct ABC series Alias, gave birth to a baby girl in Los Angeles on Tuesday, a rep for the actress told People Magazine this evening.

“Jennifer Garner and Ben Affleck gave birth to a healthy baby girl,” the rep said.

This marks the second child for Bennifer II, who also have a 3-year-old daughter, Violet.

The ill-fated lovers, who starred in the box office bomb Gigli, began dating in 2002 and split shortly before they were due to be married in September 2004.

“I think Jen and I made a mistake in that we fell in love, we were excited and maybe too accessible,” Ben, who is expecting a second child with wife Jennifer Garner, told Live over the weekend. “I don’t think either of us anticipated the degree to which it would take on a world of its own.”

David Cook, of American Idol Season 7, is scheduled to perform. And don’t forget to keep your eyes open for a rumored cameo from Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama.

Jennifer Garner is pregnant again. Eli Stone star Victor Garber, who played the actress’ dad on the ABC series Alias, tells U.S Weekly that the star will welcome her second child with husband Ben Affleck this Fall.

“Yes, she is,” Garber replied when grilled on the Garner pregnancy rumors on Thursday.