Jennifer Lopez feels "lucky and proud" to be back in a relationship with Ben Affleck, but admits that being older has changed how they handle their relationship publicly this time round.
The 52-year-old pop star originally dated Hollywood actor Ben between 2002 and 2004 but the pair reunited in 2021 thinks it is "beautiful" that they have given their romance another chance.
She said: "I've never been better. It's just that we're all in a very beautiful moment I feel so lucky and happy and proud to be with [Ben]. It's a beautiful love story that we got a second chance."
Jennifer then went on to explain that this time round she and Ben - who was married to fellow Hollywood star Jennifer Garner between 2005 and 2018 - have made a conscious decision to keep their relationship private.
She told PEOPLE: "Before we kind of put [our relationship] out there and we were naïve and it got a little trampled. We both were like, 'Wow, we're so happy and we don't want any of that to come into play again.'"
The “Love Don't Cost a Thing” hitmaker - who has twins Emme and Maximilian, 13, from her previous marriage to Marc Anthony, whilst Ben has Violet, 16, Seraphina, 13 and Samuel, nine, with ex-wife Jennifer Garner - added that having children has made them "protective" of how they portray their relationship in the media.
She said: "We're older now, we're smarter, we have more experience, we're at different places in our lives, we have kids now, and we have to be very conscious of those things. We're so protective because it is such a beautiful time for all of us."