Ben Affleck has nothing to hide when it comes to his ongoing addiction battle.
During a talk with the Today show’s Hoda Kotb, the Batman actor opened up about his alcoholism and recovery, and even told funny tales of his coparenting adventures with ex-wife Jennifer Garner.
“It doesn’t really bother me to talk about alcoholism and being an alcoholic, it’s part of my life, it’s something that I deal with,” said the star.
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As RadarOnline.com readers know, Affleck, 46, spent some time in rehab late last year after falling off the wagon and being dumped by on-and-off girlfriend Lindsay Shookus.
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“It doesn’t have to sort of subsume my whole identity but it is something that you have to work out and I feel like I had a problem and really want to address it, and I take some pride in that,” added Affleck.
The actor has opened up about his alcoholism many times before. After shocking photos of him being driven to rehab by Garner, 46, emerged, he shared a statement saying he was getting the help he needed, and felt eager to recover.
“It’s about yourself, your life, your family. And you know, people – we encounter these kinds of hurdles – and we have to deal with them,” said Affleck in his interview.
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On a lighter note, the new-sober actor also spoke about his life as a coparent to three beautiful children.
“I hope I’m a pretty good dad. I certainly try very hard. I’m lucky they got a great mom and she helps out a great deal in making sure that we coparent in as good a way as possible,” Affleck said of raising two daughters and a son with his ex.
Radar readers know that while they’ve both moved on with other people since their split, Affleck and Garner are often seen out at soccer games and at church with kids Violet, 13, Seraphina, 10, and Samuel, 7. They also spend time with just each other, and were recently seen grabbing coffee in their neighborhood!
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“Dads are so important to kids and it’s our responsibility to be there for them: to be present, to be mindful, to be attentive, to be part of their lives, to be as in it as moms and that’s really the central preoccupation of my life… the focus of my life, it’s what I love doing, it’s what makes me happy and the rest of the stuff kind of follows,” Affleck continued.
The actor — who recently reconciled with Shookus — then told a story about how Garner dressed up for their son’s birthday bash and was greeted with eye-rolls from their kids. As he told the hilarious tale, he burst out laughing and praised Garner for being such a committed mother.
“I can tell you still love her,” said Kotb, 54.
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“Of course, she’s wonderful. You know [when] somebody’s the mother of your kids, they’re gonna to be the most important, central person in your life and that’s good,” admitted Affleck.
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