Jennifer Lopez feels "so lucky and happy and proud" to be back in a relationship with Ben Affleck.
The music superstar, who was engaged to the Good Will Hunting actor between 2002 and 2004, thrilled fans last year she confirmed they had rekindled their relationship.
Reflecting on their romance in a cover interview with People magazine, Lopez said, "I feel so lucky and happy and proud to be with him. It's a beautiful love story that we got a second chance.
"When you find somebody and you really, really love them and you get a second chance at that? That is a really rare, precious, beautiful thing and we don't take it for granted."
Lopez admitted that they "had a little bit of fear" when they reconnected last year because they "got a little trampled" by the media circus which surrounded them the first time. However, she noted that it feels very different the second time around given that 17 years have passed.
"We both were like, 'Wow, we're so happy and we don't want any of that to come into play again.' We're older now, we're smarter, we have more experience, we're at different places in our lives, we have kids now, and we have to be very conscious of those things. We're so protective because it is such a beautiful time for all of us," the 52-year-old continued, saying that they hold the relationship "sacred" and will do everything they can to protect it.
Lopez also gushed about Affleck and how proud she was of "the man he's become", adding, "To see the person, the human being, the man that he is today, the father that he is today, the partner that he is - he is so everything I always knew he was and wanted to be."
The On the Floor singer shares two children with her ex-husband Marc Anthony, while Affleck shares three with his ex-wife Jennifer Garner.