How troubled Ben Affleck was saved by Bond beauty Ana de Armas after years of battling alcoholism and painful divorce
GRUELLING rehab stints battling alcohol addiction and a shock split from Jennifer Garner after sensational claims he cheated with their nanny - it's fair to say Ben Affleck has had a rocky few years.
But the actor, 47, has put his turbulent past firmly behind him recently as he moves on with James Bond beauty Ana de Armas, 31 - with the pair seemingly holed up together in isolation during the coronavirus pandemic.
Recent photos of the actor smiling and laughing with his rumoured new love in Los Angeles are a far cry from his sombre and often dishevelled appearances over the last few years.
Having met Armas while filming their upcoming thriller Deep Water last year in New Orleans, the pair have since reportedly enjoyed a vacation together in Costa Rica and Ana’s hometown of Havana, Cuba, where she played the perfect tour guide and showed him around.
So, could his newfound crush signal a new start for the troubled star?
Three stints in rehab for alcoholism
Struggling to maintain his hard-earned sobriety has taken a brutal toll on Affleck's love life.
He found happiness when he married Jennifer Garner in 2005, with the pair welcoming three children together, Violet, Seraphina and Samuel - but ten years later, their sudden separation and divorce in 2018 rocked the showbiz world.
As the son of an alcoholic who saw his own father drunk every day, the Good Will Hunting star has battled constantly to remain sober, enduring three stints in rehab for alcoholism – the first two in 2001 and 2017 and the last one in 2018, with his then ex Garner even driving him to the facility in Malibu.
However, he has always been very open about his alcohol demons.
In March 2017, Affleck wrote a Facebook post discussing his determination to overcome his issues, saying: "I have completed treatment for alcohol addiction; something I've dealt with in the past and will continue to confront, I want to live life to the fullest and be the best father I can be.
"I want my kids to know there is no shame in getting help when you need it, and to be a source of strength for anyone out there who needs help but is afraid to take the first step.
"I'm lucky to have the love of my family and friends, including my co-parent, Jen, who has supported me and cared for our kids as I've done the work I set out to do. This was the first of many steps being taken towards a positive recovery."
'Affair' with the nanny
His stint in rehab wasn't his only problem at the time however, as rumours were also rife his split from Garner came about following an alleged affair with the nanny.
“Shame is really toxic. There is no positive byproduct of shame.
"It’s just stewing in a toxic, hideous feeling of low self-worth and self-loathing.”
And it wasn't the only time Affleck had to make a public apology.
Aside from breaking Garner’s heart, there was also the time he was accused of groping a talk show host in 2003.
“I acted inappropriately,” he said of that incident in 2017, as the #MeToo era dawned, “and I sincerely apologise.”
So drunk he could barely stand
Cuban-Spanish actress Armas first shot to prominence playing a holographic AI projection in 2017 movie Blade Runner 2049, while she also played an immigrant nurse in the 2019 murder mystery film Knives Out, for which she was nominated for a Golden Globe for best actress.
She is now set to star in the upcoming Bond film No Time To Die as recent CIA recruit Paloma.
Meanwhile, in his new movie, The Way Back, Affleck plays an alcoholic high school basketball coach who ruined his marriage getting a second chance at redemption – a movie which clearly resonates with parts of his own life.
“I have certainly made mistakes,” he told the New York Times. “I have certainly done things that I regret. But you’ve got to pick yourself up, learn from it, learn some more, try to move forward.”
Indeed, Affleck spoke optimistically about his future to Sawyer last month - revealing what he hopes people will say about him in five years.
"Five years from now, Ben Affleck is sober and happy, and sees his kids three and a half days a week, and has made three or four movies that are interesting to him," he said.
"[And] directed two [movies] that he's hopefully proud of and is in a healthy, stable, loving, committed relationship."
Here's hoping his apparent new relationship with Ana can make that dream a reality.