Since first announcing their split in June 2015, Jennifer Garner and Ben Affleck have remained close, sharing parenting duties and vacations — the actor even lives in the guest house of their L.A. property.
Now that their divorce is proceeding, the two “will continue to amicably work at their relationship to make this new phase work for the kids,” Violet, 11, Seraphina, 8, and Samuel, 5, a source close to the couple tells PEOPLE in this week’s issue.
So what finally drove them to file? Sources on both sides insist a divorce was always the plan and the decision to file was mutual. “It was just time,” says a source. “There was no catalyst.”
But other insiders say strain over Affleck’s problems early this year dashed any hopes of a reconciliation — and led Garner to be finally ready to move on. “It came down to his last-ditch attempt at saving things by going to rehab,” says a source close to the situation. “But it was just too little too late.”