LIFESTYLE CHATS TO JENNIFER LOPEZ

As a result, critics raved about Lopez's fabulous form almost as much as they have her acting return in the likes of NBC series Shades of Blue, and movies Second Act and Hustlers; while Marry Me and Shotgun Wedding proved well-judged fun turns, and exactly the sort of material we’d expect from a woman who has rediscovered love.

It all adds up to the fact the Bronx-born icon has rediscovered a sense of purpose that was noticeably bereft in much of her work postMillennium. What we are seeing – professionally and personally… her rekindled romance and subsequent marriage to Affleck is like something out of the Hollywood playbook of scriptwritten perfection – is the JLo of the Nineties, with all the vigour, veracity and zeal for life.

“I think at the heart of it is the fact I continue to learn about myself and try to keep evolving as a woman and as a person and as a human being,” she begins. “And yet, I think that the most important lesson I've learned is to love yourself first.

“I am not unique in going through challenges and trials, nor am I unique in, at times, struggling to find the answer to the puzzle. I believe we all get there in the end though.”

JLo and Affleck is one of those Tinseltown stories that ticks so many boxes; it’s something the whole industry wants to chat about and celebrate. The two were a bona fide item almost two decades ago, splitting in 2004 after a two-year romance during which they got engaged. That they’ve gone their separate ways and come back to the centre reinforces a need in both to perhaps take a more settled, secure view to the future.

By her own admission, in the past, the buoyancy of the actress’s her career has, ultimately, deflected attention away from a haphazard love life that, while providing elation in some quarters – in 14-year-old twins Maximilian and Emme – has left the performer downtrodden. Even as recently as 2019 she was announcing her engagement to former baseball star Alex Rodriguez – yet something didn’t seem right in the same way that her reuniting with Affleck does.

“It’s flattering that people follow your career and your fortunes so intently, but the truth is I genuinely feel I have nothing left to prove to myself,” she says. “That is one of those flippant statements that you find yourself coming out withover the course of your career, and it’s very easy to say, even if sometimes you may question whether you mean it.

“We have all told someone we love them as a quick response to them saying it, and it is that same feeling of uncertainty. Dare you let the words come out?

“Well, for me, I can say that I have nothing left to prove to myself now, and for the first time I honestly mean it, so that is very comforting to me

“That’s not to say I don’t still strive to go out there and do amazing things, but for the moment I am where I want to be.”

Hitting the half-century doesn’t seem to have had any sort of adverse effect on Jennifer Lopez. She carries herself with the same style and swagger that she always did, perhaps with a shimmering of greater self-awareness – for art, for dynamism, in her passion for the environment, and through an obvious dedication to health and fitness. Mostly though, what radiates is contentment, and an acceptance of the past.

Certainly, she found help arriving at that place throughthe process of writing her 2014 autobiography, True Love. “When pressed to put into words things you have pocketed away, it becomes quite a tough experience, but one that is ultimately very satisfying,” she says. “I’ve not met anyone who hasn’t expressed some sort of feeling of therapy when it comes to writing an autobiography. It proved an extremely valuable experience for me, and I am definitely more at peace as a result of doing it.

“I think it makes you realise that, as life goes on, you never have all the answers, and never did you have them in the past. So with that in mind you need to be quite forgiving to yourself. It’s easy to beat yourself up over the past but, when you have the time to really drill down on the detail of what happened, why it happened and why you did what you did, you realise all you ever did at any one point in time was put everything you had into it.

“It’s so easy tobeat yourself up over things that, in hindsight, you realise you shouldn’t have.”

While in the years after that bestseller there were still hurdles to overcome, just as there will be many more in future, JLo at least has a focusthese days on diversity in creativity ,and the ability to have fun without the pressure to perform

“When the shackles are off, we produce our best work,” she says. “That’s true of so many people in so many parts of life. It’s just the getting to that point that’s the difficult bit!”

JLo credits much of renewed, optimistic outlook to her regular fitness regimen. She has an appearance that makes those half her age envious – something she praises celebrity fitness trainer Tracy Anderson for – but at the same time provides an inspirational role model to women (and men), particularly those who refuse to subscribe to the fact that advancing age should mean a dissolution of energy, ambition and excitement.

“I know this is only one part of it, but I think women should be proud of their bodies. There shouldn't be one concept of what is beautiful or ideal-looking. I've had to overcome a lot of negative things that were said to me when I first started working in Hollywood.

“I was constantly being told to lose weight, but I basically told people, ‘Look, I'm okay with my shape and the way I look’.

“The way we look feeds in very closely to mental health. Whether we like it or not, a lot comes from that first place of what people make of us from our visual appearance.

“Ultimately, we are always beating ourselves up,” she continues. “If it's not our bodies, it's whether we're spending enough time with our kids… are we doing a good job, are we making them happy? All those things are weighing on us. It's hard.”

And yet, as a veteran of over 40 movies and eight albums, JLo’s desire to move to explore the next project has never departed. Whether TV, film or music, there remains an urgency to constantly do more, constantly do better.

“My mom was the one who taught me that if you worked hard in life then you can achieve your dreams. Then when you do achieve something, you’re always looking forward to what comes next. Stopping isn’t an option.”

Certainly, JLo’s success nowadays comes from a very different place compared to that early time in the spotlight when global audiences danced to Jenny from the Bloc. “I feel more secure, and I've learned to feel good about myself,” she says. “That's been a big step for me, because while we all crave validation in one form or another, I realise I don’t have to be governed or defined by the approval or others, and I certainly don’t need that to make me happy. I've also never felt better about my work, my image ormy body than I do now.

“I don't have any longing for the past – I don’t want to be 20 again!” she concludes.

“Maybe that's the secret of feeling freer and happier as you get older –want to be the person you will be in the future, not the one who lives in your past.”