Celebrity Jennifer Lopez Says There Was 'Genuine Love' Between Her and Ben Affleck "I really felt like when I met Ben, 'Okay, this is it,'" Lopez tells PEOPLE exclusively By Melody Chiu Melody Chiu Melody Chiu is an Executive Editor at PEOPLE overseeing music, events and emerging content. She has been with the brand since 2009, editing, writing and reporting across all entertainment verticals. She has written cover stories on Taylor Swift, Selena Gomez, Melissa McCarthy, Blake Shelton, Jordan Turpin and Sandra Oh. The Los Angeles native graduated from the University of Southern California and has appeared on Extra!, The Talk, Access Hollywood and Good Morning America. People Editorial Guidelines Published on March 25, 2016 10:00AM EDT Photo: Jeff Kravitz/FilmMagic In 2003, Bennifer was arguably the most famous couple in the world, but the spotlight on Jennifer Lopez and Ben Affleck may have played a large part in the relationship’s demise. “We didn’t try to have a public relationship,” says Lopez in The Jess Cagle Interview with PEOPLE and Entertainment Weekly‘s editorial director. “We just happened to be together at the birth of the tabloids, and it was like ‘Oh my God.’ It was just a lot of pressure.” Watch more of The Jess Cagle Interview with Jennifer Lopez on PEOPLE.com all this week. When she first met the actor, “I felt like … ‘Okay, this is it,'” says the Shades of Blue star (the show’s finale airs March 31). “[But] sometimes I feel like what you think people are and how you see them when you love them is different than when they reveal later.” For more on Jennifer Lopez’s gritty new show and her happy life now, pick up the latest issue of PEOPLE, on newsstands Friday. The duo called off their wedding just one day before the ceremony, and the American Idol star went on to marry Marc Anthony, while Affleck began dating Jennifer Garner. “I think different time different thing, who knows what could’ve happened, but there was a genuine love there,” reflects Lopez.