Jennifer Lopez’s 1st Husband Ojani Noa Tells Her to ‘Stay Single’ Amid Ben Affleck Divorce

Jennifer Lopez’s first husband, Ojani Noa, urged the singer to stay single amid her divorce from Ben Affleck.

“Stay single for a while, take 12 months off. If she meets someone new, maybe keep it private and not get ­married again. She has an amazing career and she’s a hard-working, beautiful woman, but when you’re with someone, you have to spend quality time with them and not think about being on camera,” Ojani, 50, told The Daily Mail while sharing advice for Jennifer, 55.

He then said that Jennifer needs “to be yourself so you can find yourself,” adding, “There are no bad feelings at all. I would always be her friend. I sympathize with both of them because divorce is hard.”

Ojani – who was married to the “On the Floor” singer from 1997 until 1998 – also reflected on rumors that Ben, 52, had issues with Jennifer’s love of fame. “I could understand Ben. We would both try to get her ­confidence a little bit higher. But she’s had four good ­husbands and she’s been loved before,” he said. “So, I don’t know how much love she needs or how much love she’s still looking for.”

The

actor pointed out that Ben often looked “like he wants to break someone’s head off” while posing on red carpets with Jennifer.

“I could see myself doing that too. I can tell you in my own ­experience, we would have ­disagreements in the car and then 20 minutes later, we’d have to sit and pretend everything was fine. But you can only pretend so much,” Ojani continued. “When we were going through hell and going out as a couple, I was in a bad mood too. Because I knew inside we were not good. I hated going on the red ­carpet. She would try and get me to come and I’d say: ‘No way. I’m not going to pretend.’”

In addition to Ojani and Ben, Jennifer was married to Cris Judd from 2001 until 2003 and Marc Anthony from 2004 until 2014.

Ojani shared his thoughts on the Wedding Planner star’s dating life more than three weeks after she filed for divorce from Ben after two years of marriage. In addition to asking that her maiden name be restored, Jennifer revealed that she and Ben did not have a prenup in place. She also listed the date of separation as April 26, confirming that they had broken up long before the filing.

Despite filing the paperwork to end their marriage, the estranged couple were recently spotted having lunch at the Polo Lounge at the Beverly Hills Hotel on September 14. Jennifer and Ben were joined by her kids, Max and Emme, 16, and two of his children, Fin, 15, and Samuel, 12, for the outing. The Gone Girl actor’s eldest daughter, Violet, 18, is currently living on the east coast as she attends Yale University.

Jennifer and Ben were not physically affectionate when they were photographed outside of the restaurant, though Page Six reported they were “holding hands and kissing” inside. Additionally, their children were reportedly sitting at a different table.