Jennifer Lopez on 'devastating' Marc Anthony Divorce: I had to figure out what I did wrong

Us Weekly

Jennifer Lopez may be happy and in love, but 16 months ago, when she split from her ex-husband Marc Anthony after seven years, she wasn't sure she'd ever feel like herself again.

In a new interview with Hollywood Life, J.Lo opens up about the end of her relationship with Anthony.

"I was going through a divorce and the breakup of a family, which was devastating to me because family means everything to me," Lopez, 43, tells the site of her July 2011 split.

PHOTOS: How Jennifer's style changes with each relationship

"I didn't want to be the woman who stayed in bed for months. I did do that a little," she admits, "but I knew I had to get through it. ... I had to figure out what I did wrong, that I was in a relationship where I was accepting situations that weren't good for me. If you're allowing yourself to be in a bad relationship, you need to understand why. I had to turn [the breakup] into something better. I thought, 'I don't want to just survive it, I want to come out better.'"

PHOTOS: J Lo's best hairstyles ever

The superstar focused her energy on taking care of her 4-year-old kids, Max and Emme, and threw everything else into her career. She danced, worked out and even read inspirational affirmations about how to "heal her life."

The turning point came when she heard the song "Dance Again," by Enrique Iglesias, Pitbull and RedOne. "I had to beg and beg Enrique to give it to me. I told him, 'That's my song.' And finally, he gave in," she recalls. "'Dance Again' became my anthem ... an expression of what I needed to do at that time in my life, and for what I was taking on with [my career]. It was a beautiful metaphor that became my reality.

PHOTOS: Jennifer's whirlwind romance with Casper Smart

Part of that reality now includes Casper Smart. The two recently celebrated one year together, and from the way Lopez talks about him, it looks like there may be many more to come.

"I now believe in the fairytale more than ever," she continues. "I believe in happily ever after with love."

Keep clicking for more photos of J.Lo and Marc ...