Ana de Armas life-size cut-out spotted being thrown in Ben Affleck's trash after split

Many of us dream of being able to toss our exes into the trash after a breakup, never to be seen again. For one Ben Affleck, 48, this was an enviable reality on Monday, when it was announced that he and Ana de Armas, 32, had officially split after nearly a year of dating.

According to People, with a home base in Cuba, de Armas was not keen on staying put in Los Angeles, where Affleck resides near his children.

So, shortly after the news made its rounds signalling the end of a highly publicized couple who came to define the pandemic, none other than a cardboard, life-size cut-out of de Armas was spotted being thrown in the trash outside Affleck's home. That's right, not even fit for the recycling bin.

To answer the burning questions you absolutely have: yes, Affleck was indeed in possession of a cut-out of his girlfriend. And not just any cut-out. This one featured de Armas in the kind of pose that would put any Disney Channel sitcom star to shame, lying on her stomach, feet crossed behind her, twinkly smile and all.

It didn't just appear out of nowhere. In fact, Affleck's three children, Violet, Seraphina and Samuel, whom he shares with ex-wife Jennifer Garner, were spotted pranking their dad by leaving the cut-out waiting for him on his front lawn back in June. The couple had gone public just months before in March, after meeting on and co-starring in the film Deep Water in 2019.

Oh, and was it Affleck himself escorting cardboard de Armas to the dump? Of course not, though Twitter speculation based on just two photos quickly led to the rumour that it may have been his brother Casey taking the bullet, every inch of his body covered in heavy clothing, gloves, a bandana and an unfortunate cowboy hat, making further investigation rather difficult at the time.

However, thanks to more shots shared by the Daily Mail, which describes the unidentified garbage tosser simply as "a helper," it seems he is a landscaper, having been joined by another man in a similar uniform as it required a two-man team to help break Cardboard Ana down. After all, no relationship can be folded away so easily.

And was Affleck, iced coffee in hand, just waiting for news of their split to be announced in order to take out the trash? Who is to say? One thing we do know is that this was a pair who provided during a year that didn't offer much in the way of salacious gossip (celebrity and otherwise), with their daily maskless strolls down the block just as the paparazzi wandered by, always arm-in-arm and erupting in mutual laughter as couples do.  

Right to the very end, they made a statement. And for that, we thank you. 

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