Los Angeles, Jan 8 : Hollywood star Jennifer Garner has spoken candidly about her separation from ex-husband Ben Affleck and said that the actual breaking up of a family and true partnership is what was hard.

Speaking to Marie Claire UK about life now and the upcoming second season of her drama The Last Thing He Told Me, the actress, 53, recalled how tough it was separating with Affleck in 2015.

â??You have to be smart about what you can and canâ??t handle, and I could not handle what was out there. But what was out thereâ?¦ was not what was hard. The fact of it is what was hard. The actual breaking up of a family is what was hard. Losing a true partnership and friendship is what was hard.â??

After Garnerâ??s highly publicised breakup with Affleck, with whom she has Violet Anne, Seraphina Rose and Samuel, she sought community, the actress said that she made â??a big, concerted effort to see my people as much as I can, because thatâ??s what matters.

Garner added: â??Thatâ??s where your resilience is: itâ??s in your relationships and in the people who carry you through.â??

The former couple split in 2015 after 10 years of marriage, officially divorcing three years later.

Garner also shared her other current priorities, which includes advocacy work with Save the Children US and Once Upon a Farm, and of course, her kids.

â??Theyâ??re just so cool!â?? she said of Violet Anne, 20, Seraphina Rose, 17, and Samuel, 13.

She added: â??Parenting now has shifted. Itâ??s more about parenting with a button on my mouthâ?¦. You have to let them grow up and make their choices. You donâ??t get to control it.â??

Garner, who is dating businessman John Miller, also said co-parenting with Affleck as their public lives continue to be in the spotlight has been â??the hardest thing. Not hard in the grand scheme of what is hard in the world, but tricky for me and tricky for my family.â??

/IANS