Allies of Ben Affleck, Jennifer Garner spin the divorce backstory

Jennifer Garner and Ben Affleck may be done commenting publicly about their divorce, but that’s not stopping the rest of the world and its army of unnamed insider sources from offering all sorts of details.

Despite the blunt we’re-getting-a-divorce declaration, minus any mention of separating first, the split had been building for quite a while, according to various outlets.

“Ben and Jennifer have been separated for more than six months,” a source told the New York Post. “They have been seeing counselors for years. The situation is that people change and they grow apart.”

Two years ago, when Affleck won his best picture Oscar for “Argo,” he mentioned his marriage in his acceptance speech, saying to Garner, “I want to thank you for working on our marriage for 10 Christmases. It’s good. It is work, but it’s the best kind of work. And there’s no one I’d rather work with!”

But when it came to Ben’s alleged love for drinking and confirmed love of gambling, Jen simply “couldn’t take it anymore,” a source on the Garner side told TMZ. Of course, those on Team Affleck were telling the outlet the split was really about two people wanting to take life in different directions.

E! News said the couple’s “trial separation” had been 10 months, with Affleck reportedly staying in hotels during that time. The same story said they’d been staying together -- cliche alert! -- “because of the kids.”

According to the Post’s Page Six, Affleck will be staying on the property but not in the main house at the Pacific Palisades estate they purchased from Brian Grazer while Garner was pregnant with the second of their three kids. Guess they’re tired of footing those hotel bills? Moving vans photographed at the property recently were reportedly linked to a master bedroom remodel and not to a big move.

Also, although the announcement of the breakup came one day past Bennifer’s 10th wedding anniversary, Page Six said the timing was just a coincidence and the couple mostly wanted to go public after the kids were out of school.

They’re not expected to file divorce papers until they’ve worked out all the property and custody details through a mediator, TMZ reported.

So, will Garner get the same treatment Affleck has given Jennifer Lopez, Gwyneth Paltrow and his other exes? Stay tuned.

Follow Christie D’Zurilla on Twitter @theCDZ and Google+. Follow the Ministry of Gossip on Twitter @LATcelebs.

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