Jennifer Lopez says her split from Marc Anthony was ''devastating''.

The 'On The Floor' hitmaker was determined to pick up the pieces after her divorce from the Latino singer in 2011 for the sake of their twins Max and Emme, now aged five, but admits the high-profile separation was the toughest thing she has ever experienced.

She told Britain's GLAMOUR magazine: ''Back then the pain hurt so much, but I didn't want what happened to finish me. I wanted it to help me grow for the better. I didn't want to just survive it; I wanted to come out of it stronger than I was before.

''It took a lot a digging deep to do that. Right now I'd say it was the hardest thing I've ever been through, because of the kids. When you're this little scrappy girl and things happen, you just cry yourself to sleep. But when you're responsible for two other human beings and their lives and emotional wellbeing, that's a biggie. You're constantly wondering: 'Am I doing the right thing here?'

Jennifer, 44, is now happy in a relationship with choreographer Casper Smart, 26, and is pleased she can count Marc - her third husband following failed marriages to Ojani Noa and Cris Judd - as a friend these days.

Quizzed whether she still loves her ex, Jennifer said: ''I do. I love him as the father of my children and as a friend. That doesn't mean that we were meant to be in marriage forever though.''

The 'American Idol' judge often lets pent-up emotions get the better of her and cries easily.

Jennifer said: ''I cry often. I cry out of exhaustion and feeling overwhelmed. I'll be holding it all together and then some little thing will trigger it - a commercial or a romantic moment in a movie - and the floodgates will open. It's about being tired all the time.''