Jennifer Lopez Celebrates Upcoming 55th Birthday Without Ben Affleck Amid Marital Woes
Jennifer Lopez celebrated her upcoming 55th birthday without husband Ben Affleck amid their ongoing marital woes.
Three days before Jennifer turns 55 on Wednesday, July 24, the “On the Floor” singer was spotted hosting a lunch for her birthday with family and friends at the Arthur & Sons location in Bridgehampton, New York. She was joined by her longtime manager, Benny Medina, her teenage kids, Max and Emme, and her sister, Lynda.
Jennifer seemingly got emotional as she recalled stories about her past during the meal, a source told Page Six.
The guests enjoyed dishes including fried calamari, meatballs with ricotta, artichoke alla romano, salads, chicken parm, spicy rigatoni alla vodka, spaghetti aglio olio, as well as spumoni my way, limoncello cheesecake and mini cannoli for dessert.
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While the Wedding Planner actress was showered with love during the celebration, Ben, 51, was noticeably missing from the lunch.
Rumors of their issues have been swirling since In Touch exclusively reported they were on the verge of a split on May 15.
“The writing is on the wall – it’s over. They’re headed for a divorce – and for once, [Ben’s] not to blame!” a source shared at the time. “He’s focusing on his work and his kids now. Ben already moved out and they’ll likely have to sell the dream house they spent two years searching for. They’ll never stop loving each other, but she can’t control him, and he can’t change her. There’s no way it could have lasted.”
While neither Jennifer nor Ben have publicly confirmed the status of their relationship, the Gone Girl actor has hinted their love story is over by ditching his wedding ring on several occasions. Meanwhile, Jennifer sparked more speculation when she posted three selfies to Instagram in which her ring finger on her left hand was bare on July 20.
“Today is gonna be a great day. Happy Saturday everybody,” she wrote alongside the photos.
Despite staying quiet about their issues, another insider exclusively told In Touch that she was willing to do anything to save their marriage.
“Jennifer is doing anything in her power to control this situation, unpleasant as it is,” the source shared in June. “She’s going to the kids’ events to show Ben that things haven’t changed for her, she’s still his wife, she loves him no matter what, and she loves his kids like they were her own.”
Meanwhile, an additional insider claimed Ben was “trying to humor” Jennifer by wearing his wedding ring amid the split speculation.
“Ben never expected J. Lo to embrace his decision to leave. He knew it would be tough for her, but the more time that’s gone on the more fearful he’s gotten about how she’s going to react once it’s officially done,” a source exclusively told In Touch on July 16. “The way she’s insisted on them wearing their rings and doing all this damage control, to her huge fit over him moving his stuff out, has got him really anxious.”
After noting that Jennifer didn’t plan to go “away quietly,” the insider said she wanted Ben to also act like everything is OK. “Until this divorce is final, she wants him to wear the ring and still act like a married man,” the source stated. “Ben’s getting as much time away from her as he can because he just doesn’t want to deal with another fight. He’s walking on eggshells and never knows when she’s going to blow up.”
