Jennifer Lopez and Alex Rodrigues announced their engagement on Saturday after two years of dating. And while everyone is talking about the giant rock on J Lo’s finger – her emerald-cut engagement ring is said to be worth £770,000 – we’ve been drooling over the happy couple’s love story.
While yes, it’s true, they celebrated their two-year anniversary last month, Alex has actually carried a torch for Jen for 20 years.
He revealed on Instagram last October that he had been his fiance’s biggest fan for years – after asking for her autograph when he was a “young ball player” at just 23.
“#TBT to almost 20 years ago when a big time global pop superstar signed a pic for a young ball player,” he posted – sharing an old picture of the star that she had signed for him.
lifecanbeafunnythingsometimes #pictureperfect #keepsake #jlo,” he wrote.
J-Lo has said before in media interviews that she believes the reason she and A-Rod work so well as a couple is because they’re so similar.
“Both Alex and I are Latino. We are both self-made. He was always the hardest working baseball player that was – me, the same,” she told Red magazine.
“We have that in common. We have the same work ethic. We also appreciate and know that coming from nothing, we always want to try to help and give back and teach our kids that.”
Celebrating their two-year anniversary last month J-Lo gushed on Instagram, “Two years of laughter, two years of fun, two years of adventures, of excitement, of growing and learning, of true friendship, and so much love!!” she captioned the post. “You make my world a more beautiful safe and stable place… in the midst of our ever-changing, ever-moving life… You make me feel like a teenager starting out all over again…”
For Jen, this will be her fourth marriage. The singer’s first was with Cuban waiter Ojani Noa. The marriage lasted less than a year, from February 1997 to January 1998. Second time round J Lo married her back-up singer Cris Judd – the pair tied the knot in 2001 but after nine months, the couple split.
Jen’s third marriage to Marc Anthony lasted seven years from 2004 to 2011. The couple now share custody of their gorgeous twins, Max and Emme. Jen has said in previous interviews that since she has had her children, she has become more cautious about who she lets into her world.
In the past, J Lo has also had high-profile romances with Ben Affleck and Puff Daddy (now known as P Diddy).
“For me, the relationship journey has been very up and down,” she told Harper’s Bazaar earlier this year.
“But it didn’t have to do with anybody else but me – it was about me figuring out me. Until you learn to love yourself, you can’t completely love [someone else] in a way that is pure and true. Once you do that, you can have relationships that are based on love and respect, that are supportive and nourishing. There’s an evolution there that had to happen for me. I feel like I’m in a better place now.”
For Alex, this will be his second marriage. He was previously married to Ojani Noa.
