When Lopez and Affleck first reunited – the pair were engaged back in the early 2000s, you may recall – it looked for all the world that they were set for the fairytale ending denied them nigh-on 20 years ago.

They had matured emotionally, it was said, they had learned the lessons they needed to learn, they had separated, gone out into the world, and somehow found the path back to one another. What could possibly go wrong?

Well, unfortunately quite a bit. Earlier this year gossip began to pick up pace regarding the idea that Lopez and Affleck were struggling to make things work. Affleck, so said the rumors, had moved out of the couple’s plush marital home in Beverly Hills, while both parties were spotted without their wedding bands on.

The writing was on the wall, most will agree, though it wasn’t until Lopez filed for divorce in late August that fans finally got a definitive answer as to what the future holds for ‘Bennifer’.

For Affleck, this will mark his second divorce. For Lopez, this will be the fourth time she has terminated such a union.

Interestingly, JLo’s first husband, Ojani Noa, has now spoken out, recalling the stresses associated with being together with a star like Lopez.

Speaking to the Daily Mail, he said: “We would have ­disagreements in the car and then 20 minutes later, we’d have to sit and pretend everything was fine.”

The young couple met in Miami in 1997. Noa was a waiter at the time, while Lopez was working with Jack Nicholson and Michael Caine on the film Blood and Wine.

“We started talking about marriage within months of seriously dating and I asked her to marry me about a year and a half after we met,” Noa explained.

“I was the first, the pioneer. I was there at the beginning of her career supporting her, ­dealing with her anxieties and insecurities.”

As for their break-up, Noa pulled no punches when offering his thoughts.

“I feel when she got what she wanted, I was no longer needed,” he said.

“I put a lot of time and effort into loving her. But when you’re with someone, you have to spend quality time with them and not think about being on camera.”

What do you make of Jennifer Lopez and Ben Affleck’s marriage and divorce? Let us know in the comments box.