Jennifer Lopez was over the moon when Ben Affleck got on one knee and proposed to the “Booty” singer in 2002, having presented J.Lo with a stunning $2.5 million engagement ring. But by January 2004, it appeared as if Affleck had gotten cold feet, as he decided not to move forward with their wedding plans and consequently call it quits.
Their split shocked Hollywood since Lopez and her ex-fiancé had never given people the impression that their relationship was on rocky terms — especially not after announcing their engagement with the world.
Needless to say, the two went their separate ways, but what actually happened to the expensive diamond ring?
Jennifer Lopez’s Engagement Ring
The “Love Don’t Cost A Thing” hitmaker was stunned when she took a glance at the pink diamond-encrusted engagement ring from Harry Winston, which had cost Affleck a whopping $2.5 million and boasted 6.1-carats.
It wasn’t until 2006 when Us Weekly revealed what Lopez did with the pricey piece of jewelry after she and Affleck had broken up.
According to the publication, the pop star had every intention of returning the ring to Affleck, claiming: “She plans on quietly giving the ring back. She’s not doing this for the media. She’s doing it for closure. It’s the relationship’s death certificate. He has demons that will never go away.”
This was the most that fans had heard about the engagement ring since the couple’s split, and while Lopez has never publicly declared on what she ended up doing, considering that Affleck has never said anything himself, it’s fair to assume she did return the ring to the Daredevil star.
Of course, it should also be noted that despite no longer being in a relationship together, Lopez and Affleck have remained close friends over the years, having both spoken highly of one another in interviews.
Most recently, the father of three spoke about his former flame’s success on the big screen during an interview with The New York Times in February 2020.
“She’s the real thing,” Affleck revealed. “I keep in touch periodically with her and have a lot of respect for her.”
The Oscar winner also touched on her film, Hustlers, which has since become her highest-grossing flick to date. He added: “How awesome is it that she had her biggest hit movie at 50? That’s f***ing baller.”
While the Second Act actress remains on good terms with her ex, she did previously stress in an interview with Vanity Fair how the relationship downfall left her suffering for two years, having already second-guessed herself on whether she wanted to carry on working in the entertainment industry.
The split with Affleck made her feel as if she was going to quit a career in showbiz altogether.
“I lost my sense of self, questioned if I belonged in this business, thought maybe I did suck at everything,” the 51-year-old said.
“And my relationship [with Ben] self-destructed in front of the entire world. It was a two-year thing for me until I picked myself up again.”
If that wasn’t enough, the mother of two also told W Magazine in a candid chat how the romance with Affleck was doomed since there was a lack of trust from both parties, which ultimately left neither one of them confident that marriage was the right decision for either of them.
And while Lopez was more than determined to work through any issues that had arisen in her relationship, it seemed as if Affleck saw things otherwise.
“Men in their 20s are very confident and cocky, and women are super insecure. And then it slips – men get super insecure, and women get comfortable in their own skin, in a way that makes them more beautiful,” Lopez asserted.
“I never appreciated my body or my looks when I was in my 20s. Now I’m like, ‘Look at me! Look at you!’ Not in a conceited or arrogant way – I just appeciated myself in a way that I didn’t when I was that age.”
Since her split with Affleck, Lopez went on to marry Marc Anthony, whom she was married to from 2004 to 2014, before she started dating Casper Smart and rapper Drake.
The “Get Right” chart-topper is currently engaged to Alex Rodriguez, who popped the question back in March 2019. Due to the coronavirus pandemic, however, the pair has decided to postpone their wedding for the foreseeable future, but Lopez is definitely looking to tie the knot with her longtime beau in the near future.