Jennifer Lopez Has ‘Told Friends She Needs Help’ Amid Marital Woes With Ben Affleck

They couldn’t even bring themselves to touch lips. Ben Affleck greeted wife Jennifer Lopez with an air kiss when she met him at his 12-year-old son Samuel’s basketball game in Santa Monica on June 2. “It was so awkward,” says a witness. “They didn’t show any real affection like a normal married couple, but they had these big smiles on their faces, like they were faking it for the cameras.”

That’s exactly what they were doing, according to those close to the couple. “It’s definitely over between them,” a source exclusively tells In Touch, adding that Ben “reluctantly agreed” to hold off on making a formal announcement at Jennifer’s request. The singer, who abruptly canceled her planned summer tour on May 31 amid dismal ticket sales and lukewarm reviews of her album and self-financed musical movie, This Is Me... Now: A Love Story, is “falling to pieces,” says an insider. “She’s lost everything. Between dealing with crisis management and intense heartbreak, she’s told friends she needs help.”

The hopeless romantic thought she’d finally found her happily ever after. Her new album — which sparked the tour — “was all about Ben and their love story,” notes the insider. Jennifer, 54, “is humiliated that it’s over already after just two years. She’s been crying all the time, going from anger to despair to delusion and even having panic attacks. She’s saying she can’t imagine a scenario where she can exist without Ben in her life, which is putting a ton of pressure on him.”

Ben is doing his best to handle the split as sensitively as possible. “The last thing he wants to do is hurt J. Lo. He still loves and respects her,” says the source, adding that the pair, who reunited in 2021 after 17 years apart, simply couldn’t find common ground about how much of their private lives to share. “Ben wants to do this in a civilized way and make sure the transition is as smooth as possible for the kids.” Before they officially call it quits, adds the source, Ben, 51, “wants them to have all their ducks in a row so there’s no messy court battle.” But as long as no paperwork has been filed, Jennifer “is still clinging to the possibility that they can turn things around,” says the insider. “She’s begged him to give their marriage a second chance.”

But apparently his mind is made up. “The divorce is happening; it’s just a question of timing,” says the source. “Ben is telling friends that he’s looking forward to the next chapter. He wants a life with serenity and peace, and escaping this roller-coaster will be a relief.”