The Bennifer effect: 5 women share how a breakup actually made their relationship work.

Controversial opinion: breakups can be productive.

And not just in a self-healing, needed-that-to-grow kind of way. Some of the best relationships out there have been forged by two people who needed space to know they could make it work. Ben Affleck and Jennifer Affleck (née Lopez) spring to mind. After calling off their engagement almost two decades ago, the pair got married this year – a long game we absolutely loved to see.

While most people will tell you amid the pain of a breakup that getting back together is the worst idea ever, sometimes it’s not. The recent Universal Sony film release, Ticket to Paradise, shows us just how a breakup – or in the case of the movie, a brutal divorce – can bring two people back together.

It tells the story of Georgia, played by Julia Roberts, and David, played by George Clooney, a former husband and wife who team up to stop their daughter, Lily, from making the same mistake they did by marrying someone she barely knows just after graduating law school.

Set in Bali, the visually stunning film shows us a love story we don’t often see: how teamwork and love can bring people back together after a time apart.

Inspired by the film's digital release, Mamamia asked women for their stories on getting back together, and how ultimately, it made their relationship work.

Watch the trailer for Ticket to Paradise. Story continues below.  

Allison

A break-up definitely saved my relationship. We had been on and off for 10 years and both worried about making that final commitment. We both supported each other's dreams and endeavours and wanted to make sure we both did all our bucket list things before ultimately locking it down. 

So we broke up for a year during COVID-19 and I decided to moved states so we could have a year of complete space. It was the best thing we ever did. We both missed each other way too much, hated the distance, found clarity around what was truly important and now we are fully committed, living together and planning our future together. 

It was a big risk because if we didn’t align, then one of us could have been heartbroken but breakups can work if you both are aligned on the bigger goal together.

Bec

My husband and I dated for two years over 1999-2001. He was doing his advanced training to become a gastroenterologist, and I was a nurse ready to travel. He had four years ahead, and we decided to stay friends and part ways. I went to the UK and travelled Europe, and we both saw other people (but none seriously).

We reunited in late 2003, married in January 2005, have four children and will celebrate our 18th wedding anniversary in January. He’s always been home to me. The key is to always be a team in everything – parenting, day-to-day family life, etc. I think that’s the “secret” to a long and happy marriage, for want of a better word!

Corinne

My husband and I started dating in high school. While some of our friends are still together from that period, we were all incredibly young – I’d say too young to know what we really wanted. My husband and I ended up breaking up for a time in the year after graduation. We barely knew ourselves outside of high school, and I think he craved to be single and see who he was as a young man.

In a bit of a random twist, though, he ended up getting into an accident while riding motorbikes with his friends. It wasn’t serious, but he had to be taken to hospital. He even had a new girlfriend at the time, but as he began to come to, it was my name he was saying, me he was asking for. Our mutual friend called me, and I rushed to be by his side. I’ve stayed by him ever since.

These days, we have three kids and a grandchild, and we’ve been married for just under 30 years. Sometimes, it just takes a little push from the universe to understand what we knew we wanted all along.

Jamie

My ex and I slowly began to talk again three months after a seismic breakup. We’d been together for a year, and we were very much in love, but I think the confusion and uncertainty of just being in our twenties got the better of us. We felt pulled in different directions and didn’t have the tools to navigate everything we were feeling. 

Even when we were first back together, I was a nervous wreck around him, absolutely terrified I’d have to go through all that pain again. It took time, effort, and dedication on both our parts for it to work. We’d spend long nights laying awake talking about what happened and how we could prevent future issues. 

When it comes down to it though, issues can’t be prevented – only dealt with respectfully and with a lot of love. It still took about a year for me to really believe in us again, and by that point, we were in a new relationship that was much improved on the one we’d had before it. I think if two exes are to get back together, it needs to be from a different place than where the split occurred. It takes a lot of strength, but for us, it was so, so worth it.

Amanda

I met a guy in my final months of uni, and we hit it off. I’d dated all throughout my degree, but I’d never met someone so kind, funny, and down-to-earth. We dated for a while, but when it came to the question of committing properly, we could never quite jump in with both feet. I was starting my first job after lots of study, while he’d been in the workforce for a few years and felt ready to travel. 

The goodbye was sad, but it wasn’t painful – I was really confident we’d ended on the best of terms, and would always think of him really fondly. I had plenty to keep me busy over the following years: a pandemic, a career, and plenty of other things to manage. 

But, just as I suspected he might, he slid into my DMs earlier this year, having returned from travel, and we’ve been joined at the hip ever since. While we don't know what the future holds, the fact we found each other again fills me with hope.

Early access, rent or buy Ticket to Paradise now. 

Feature Image: Canva.