Hollywood’s worst-kept secret is now out and official: Jennifer Lopez and Ben Affleck are definitely divorcing. Rumours have been circulating for months that the ‘greatest love story never told’ was coming to an end, with it finally confirmed last week that J-Lo, 55, had filed the papers to divorce her fourth husband. And, in a defiant final act of revenge, the singer chose the couple’s second wedding anniversary to officially pull the plug on their marriage. However, Ben appeared unfazed, and was pictured smiling in LA with his ex-wife Jennifer Garner, after the former couple dropped off their eldest child, 18-year-old Violet, at college in Connecticut.

But behind the scenes, a source has revealed things are turning ugly. As the divorce filing hit headlines, J-Lo’s team seemingly began damage control, removing the majority of gushing posts about Ben from the star’s Instagram feed. And while the estranged pair have been putting on a united front for months, reports have claimed they’re no longer on speaking terms and, we’re told, there’s a lot at stake in this split, meaning it could get even nastier.

Jennifer Lopez donning a black sun dress seen with daughter Emme Muniz getting some frozen drinks while out in the city. Featuring: Jennifer Lopez Where: Los Angeles, California, United States When: 17 Aug 2024 Credit: BauerGriffin/INSTARimages EDITORIAL USE ONLY. NOT FOR USE BY NEWSPAPERS BASED IN THE UK. Copyright: xBellocqimagesx instar54034360 ©Imago

“Both of them have sunk a fortune into building a joint brand together,” an insider tells heat. “So much time and money has been invested, but now that’s all gone down the drain, because everything was based around the Bennifer concept.”

Almost two decades after calling off their first engagement, it seemed Hollywood’s ultimate fairy tale had come true when the couple reunited and walked down the aisle in 2022. With PDAs and grand declarations of love, the power couple instantly began building their own mega-brand together – with their new sports-based movie Unstoppable set to be released at the end of this year.

Starring Jen, and produced by Ben’s production company, the couple were due to begin promo for the film in a few weeks. Now, our source says, “The question is how they’re going to promote this project – can they even work together? They had other projects lined up, too, and they’ve had to pull out of them.”

Their divorce filing has shone a light on much of Bennifer’s tumultuous relationship. Most interestingly, Jen listed the date of their separation as 26 April – meaning the A-listers have been putting on a front for months. Since then, they’ve been pictured at multiple family events with their blended brood, comprising Ben’s children (he also has Fin, 15, and Samuel, 12, from his first marriage), and Jen’s twins Max and Emme, both 16, from her third marriage.

While many fans have questioned why it took the pair so long to make their split public – four months, to be exact – our source says it’s partly down to how much money is involved. The divorce papers revealed there is no prenup in place, meaning the couple have the mammoth task of splitting their combined £490 million in assets. However, preparations are already underway. Jen and Ben, 52, put their 12- bed Beverly Hills mansion on the market in July. Later that month, he celebrated his wife’s 55th birthday by purchasing himself a £15m Los Angeles home.

The lack of prenup could spell trouble for Bennifer ©Imago

We’re told, “A big part of why this split has taken so long is because they’ve got to untangle their finances. Of course, they’re mindful of the kids, but there’s also so many assets to be divided and liquidated. Jen really thought they were going to be the biggest power couple in Hollywood – and to be fair, they could have been if they’d stayed together. Now, they’re walking away from billions. There are huge costs attached to sorting out everything between them.”

And with rumours swirling that the divorce will be far from smooth, we’re told Jen is preparing for a tough scrap. The source says, “She’s doing her best to stay positive, but she really is back to square one. She was building the super-brand of her dreams with the man who she thought was the love of her life – and now it’s all gone.”