Real-Life Celebrity Breakup: Gwyneth Paltrow and Ben Affleck

Gwyneth Paltrow and Ben Affleck both had high-profile marriages that ended around the same time — Paltrow with singer Chris Martin and Affleck with actress Jennifer Garner — but many people might not remember that before those marriages, these two loved each other.

While their relationship didn’t last, their time together did spark headlines. From how the couple met to their eventual split, find out more about this once great celebrity romance.

How Did Gwyneth Paltrow and Ben Affleck Meet?

The two actors actually met at a dinner hosted by now-disgraced producer Harvey Weinstein back in 1997 — the same year Paltrow split from ex-fiancé Brad Pitt.

Co-Stars
They were both cast in the movie Shakespeare in Love, which was released in 1998 and just so happened to be produced by Weinstein. The couple started dating during filming and the movie went on to win Best Picture at the 1999 Oscars. Paltrow herself won the Academy Award for Best Actress.

On-and-Off
Their relationship hit a rocky patch, which led to a breakup in early 1999 after almost two years together. However, shortly after their split, Paltrow convinced Affleck to star in the film Bounce with her, which was released in 2000. The couple started dating again during the filming of the movie.

Meet The Parents

Paltrow revealed in an interview with Howard Stern in 2015 that Affleck was “not in a good place in his life to have a girlfriend” while they were together. This being the case, her parents — Blythe Danner and specifically father Bruce Paltrow — weren’t huge fans of Affleck and were OK when the couple eventually split. Not to mention her father was partial to ex-fiancé, Brad Pitt, and was upset for years after they called it quits.

Parting Ways
After getting back together in 1999, Paltrow and Affleck officially decided to end their relationship in October of 2000. Paltrow shared in a Howard Stern interview that her relationship with Affleck was a big learning experience, as she felt she was “trying to heal certain stuff” from her childhood through their romance.

Affleck would eventually move on with Jennifer Lopez in 2002, and that same year Paltrow met Chris Martin, who would become her first husband.