Few people know Ben Affleck better than Matt Damon.
The Massachusetts mates have been friends since they were in single digits, so stepping in to wingman your buddy after a divorce is par for the course.
But the task has seemingly been taken on by Damon’s wife Luciana Barroso, who is said to have ‘her antennas up’ for potential suitors for her close friend, 52, following his highly publicized split from Jennifer Lopez, 55.
‘Ben’s been on a couple of under the radar dates, but so far there’s been no magic for him,’ a source told us. ‘Ben told both Luciana and Matt he needs more time, but Luciana has two potential friends lined up and is keen to see if Ben would hit it off with them.’
Once hailed People’s Sexiest Man Alive, it is doubtful that Affleck will have issues finding a new love interest.
After all, as one of Hollywood’s heartthrobs, his previous exes include a bevy of stunning women, from Bond star Ana de Armas to Playboy model Shauna Sexton – who was 23 years his junior – and Saturday Night Live producer Lindsay Shookus. Last week sources even claimed he has his eye on Angelina Jolie.
Ben Affleck is said to be tentatively dating in the wake of his split from Jennifer Lopez, with his best friend Matt Damon’s wife Luciana Barroso on the look out for a potential suitor
‘Ben told both Luciana and Matt he needs more time, but Luciana has two potential friends lined up and is keen to see if Ben would hit it off with them,’ sources told Daily Mail
But he is a man with baggage, and a penchant for being – well – grumpy, which perhaps doesn’t make him the easiest candidate to matchmake.
He has one ex-wife in Jennifer Garner, with whom he shares three children, and is fresh out of a tempestuous marriage to Lopez, having tried – and failed – at a second shot at forever.
Fans of ‘Bennifer’ relished in the nostalgia of Affleck and Lopez when rumblings of a shock reunion first trickled out in early 2021, before they went Instagram official that July.
The couple first got engaged at the end of 2002 but broke it off a year later, before calling quits on their relationship for good in 2004.
Round two saw them finally say ‘I do’ not once, but twice – first in Las Vegas and again a month later in August 2022 at Affleck’s $8.9 million estate near Savannah, Georgia.
Swerving the traditional cotton to mark their two-year anniversary, Lopez instead chose to file for divorce. Their split was finalized in February this year.
Just weeks later, Affleck was spotted back in the arms of Garner while paintballing, in a video obtained exclusively by the Daily Mail, sparking rumors the pair might be rekindling their romance. Indeed, the pair have remained close since.
Lopez described the breakup as the ‘hardest time in her life’ and said her ‘whole f***ing world exploded’.
Affleck later broke his silence on their failed reunion, insisting that there was ‘no scandal, no soap opera, no intrigue’ behind their breakup, before confessing that talking about the split felt ’embarrassing’ and ‘vulnerable.’
‘The truth is much more quotidian than probably people would believe or would be interesting,’ he told GQ last month.
Affleck with his ex-wife Lopez and his best friend Damon and his wife Barroso at the Golden Globes in January 2024, just weeks before his break-up
Video obtained exclusively by the Daily Mail, shows Ben Affleck tenderly embracing his ex-wife, and the mother of his three children, Jennifer Garner
‘It’s just a story about people trying to figure out their lives and relationships in ways that we all sort of normally do.’
He accepted that his years-long battle with how to handle fame was a point of contention for the former couple as his ‘temperament is to be a little bit more reserved and private than hers,’ adding: ‘As happens in relationships, you don’t always have the same attitude towards these things.’
The Golden Globe-winning producer was comforted by Damon, 54, and the relatively private Barroso, 48, as he navigated his divorce, with Affleck seen affectionately kissing Barroso on the head as they went into a meeting in Los Angeles in September. In December they were snapped enjoying lunch together.
Barroso, whose best friend is the actress Elsa Pataky, has more than enough experience when it comes to maintaining a healthy relationship. The Argentinian former bartender has been with Damon since 2003 and married for 20 years.
The couple, who have matching tattoos and never spend more than two weeks apart, share daughters Isabella, 18, Gia, 16, and Stella, 14. Barroso is also mother to 26-year-old Alexia from her first marriage.
As Damon’s wife, Barroso is no doubt attuned to Affleck’s tastes and needs when it comes to finding the next Mrs. Affleck. The actor may even benefit from her help in other areas, having recently hinted that he’s not the smoothest when it comes to flirting.
Speaking about his latest character Christian Wolff’s inability to charm women in The Accountant 2, he said: ‘He’s not comfortable extending himself. He doesn’t really know how to flirt exactly. He’s not comfortable like so many of us.’
‘Lucy loves Ben, they’ve known each other years,’ a second insider told us. ‘She has her antennas up looking to see if she could set Ben up with one of her friends.
‘Ben’s been on a couple of under the radar dates, but so far there’s been no magic for him,’ said our source (Affleck pictured with Lopez in June 2023)
As Damon’s wife, Barroso is no doubt attuned to Affleck’s tastes and needs when it comes to finding the next Mrs. Affleck. The actors have been pals since they were children (pictured winning an Oscar in 1998)
‘It hasn’t happened a lot, but if Lucy thinks someone she knows would be a great match, then she’ll play matchmaker.’
But after such a public and intrusive break-up, it is perhaps no surprise that Affleck is in no rush to date and is instead keen to focus on work and his children Violet, 18, Finn, 16, and Samuel, 13.
What he does know is that, as a recovering alcoholic, any new love interests will need to be sober. Having first sought help for his alcoholism in 2001, Affleck has since been in rehab multiple times. His drinking led to the breakdown of his marriage to Garner.
‘Right now, he is putting all of his time into work, but when he is ready he is looking to date a woman who is sober,’ said another insider.
‘His recovery family is urging him to date a woman in the recovery community. Ben being with a woman who drinks is not conducive to his sobriety.’
This article was originally published by a www.dailymail.co.uk . Read the Original article here. .