‘It’s like young love with the brakes off’: Bennifer and the couples who get back together

Ben Affleck and Jennifer Lopez are back together after 19 years – and they aren’t the only ones. Why do some pairings work better the second time around?

Bennifer: one of a host of couples reuniting years after their first fling. Pictures: Getty

It is the latest revival from the carefree early 00s to brave the fire-scorched hellscape of the 21st century. The relationship between Ben Affleck and Jennifer Lopez, AKA Bennifer, has roared back with a vengeance, with Lopez announcing their re-engagement this month, almost 19 years after they called off their wedding.

When we talk about a couple’s chemistry, we usually mean something about sex. It is more literal with Affleck and Lopez, who create a compound that is far more compelling than Affleck or Lopez as single atoms.