Jennifer Lopez Says Past Year Has Been ‘Intense’ Amid Divorce From Ben Affleck, Wants to ‘Relax’

Amid her divorce from Ben Affleck, Jennifer Lopez admitted that it has not been an easy year for her.

The Hustlers actress revealed her plans for the holidays and who she will be spending them with as her split from the Batman actor plays out in the public eye.

“It was a pretty intense year for me and I’m most looking forward to spending time with my kids and my family coming out from the East Coast,” she told People in an interview published on Tuesday, November 5. “The holidays are such a special time for us and they’ve always been since I was a little girl. And I really look forward to those moments when I can be with my sisters and just relax and have fun and create new memories.”

Jennifer Lopez Says She Is 'Free' and 'Excited' Amid Ben Affleck Divorce

For Jennifer, 55, being with family during the holidays each year is something she never takes for granted.

“We don’t get to see each other all year, so we kind of catch up on what everybody’s doing and how life is,” the New York native said. “It’s just a beautiful time. I really enjoy it.”

And she loves getting into the holiday spirit in her home by turning it into a winter wonderland.

“I love all of the decorations and the hot chocolate and the music and the food, and I’m one of those people who really tries to make it out of a storybook for my kids with all of those things. I’m a sucker for the holidays,” the “Lets’ Get Loud” songstress shared.

Jennifer is a mom to twins Emme and Max, whom she welcomed with ex-husband Marc Anthony. During her marriage to Ben, 52, the “On the Floor” singer’s kids became very close to Ben’s kids, Violet, Fin and Samuel, whom he welcomed with ex-wife Jennifer Garner.

The mom of two filed for divorce from Ben on August 20 after two years of marriage. She listed their date of separation as April 26. Speculation had swirled for months that the pair were going through marital troubles prior to her filing.

In August, an insider told Closer that Ben was “focused on his kids, as much as he can be, and trying to repair whatever damage this has done.”

“Jennifer Garner is doing her best to put on a united front with Ben for the kids’ sake,” the insider added. “He hates that they’ve been pulled into this. Unfortunately, Jen’s twins have been through this several times before.”

Ben moved out of the former couple’s marital home in May, In Touch reported at the time. In July, the Argo star was not in attendance at J. Lo’s Bridgerton-themed 55th birthday party in the Hamptons. They put their marital home on the market that same month for $68 million. Ben purchased a home without Jennifer in Los Angeles on her birthday in the weeks leading up to the filing.

“J. Lo doesn’t know how it came to this,” a source told In Touch in April. “She really thought she’d finally found her happily ever after, and then Ben pulled the rug out from under her. She’s putting up a brave front in public, but she’s seething on the inside.”