Jennifer Lopez Gets Real About Medical Issue That Led to Marc Anthony Divorce

Jennifer Lopez may be dating her former love Ben Affleck at the moment, but she was previously in a serious relationship with Marc Anthony. After seven years of marriage, the pair, who share twins Max and Emme, broke up. What went wrong? During an interview with W Magazine, Lopez explained that she suffers from panic attacks. She shared that this anxiety led her to determine that she should part ways from Anthony, whom she split from in 2011. 

Lopez told the publication that she began to have panic attacks after appearing in Selena, which brought her much acclaim. She recalled that she first began to experience this level of anxiety after a stranger yelled out her name after the film was released. The singer shared in the interview, which was published in 2016, "I never thought about fame until I did Selena. After that movie I had panic attacks. I remember walking down the street and someone yelled, 'Jennifer!' and didn't know who he was. I ran home. From that moment I realized that I could not be alone in public. I don't think I've been alone on the street in over 20 years."

Lopez went on to say that this very anxiety is what caused her to realize that she shouldn't be married to Anthony. In her book True Love, published in 2014, she wrote that she knew that her marriage was ending during a photo shoot. During that time, she experienced a panic attack, which made her realize that Anthony wasn't the one for her. The "On the Floor" singer said, "Sitting there while they put on my makeup, I felt like my heart was pounding and I couldn't breathe. Anxiety consumed me. I don't think I can continue with Marc any longer."

Elsewhere in her memoir, Lopez explained that her marriage to Anthony had been a sort of "Band-aid on the cut." She noted that she began her relationship with her now ex-husband shortly after splitting from Affleck. While the two would enjoy seven years of marriage, they both eventually realized that they needed to part ways. Years after their split, Lopez would find her way back to Affleck. The couple was linked again back in May 2021, about a month after Lopez split from Alex Rodriguez.