Jennifer Lopez's love life may be constant tabloid fodder, but the popstar opened up to The Telegraph on Wednesday to tell the story in her own words.
She revealed that her 2011 divorce from Marc Anthony "was hard," but that she learned a lot from the experience.
"When Marc and I decided to separate, I thought, 'I’m not going to let this turn me into someone unhopeful who doesn’t believe [in love] anymore,'" Lopez said. "I didn’t want to just survive it. I wanted to grow from it. And I did learn a lot."
What, specifically, did Lopez learn?
"Most importantly, to love myself first. As women, I don’t think we do that enough. We always love somebody else more than ourselves," she said. "I did that for a long time and I couldn’t understand why things weren’t working. Then I realized that I wasn’t valuing myself in the way that I deserved."
She also alluded to what may be the real reason for the divorce.
"You accept things that are less than what you want, and then you wonder why you find yourself in these situations. You think, 'I wouldn’t treat anyone in this way so why am I being treated like this?'"
Lopez and Anthony, who have twins together, divorced in 2011 after seven years of marriage. The former couple has continued to work on projects together after their split, including the show "Q'Viva: The Chosen."
Lopez was previously married to waiter Ojani Noa and back-up dancer Chris Judd. She is currently dating 26-year-old backup dancer and choreographer Casper Smart.
Click through the slideshow below to see the star throughout the years.
