Ben Affleck’s rumored new romance with Kick Kennedy is sparking fears it could lead to him “disastrously” falling off the wagon – due to a bleak trauma haunting the actress.

RadarOnline.com can reveal Kennedy – the daughter of scandal-mired former US presidential candidate Robert F Kennedy Jr, 70, and his 66-year-old first wife Emily Black – has nursed heartache for years over the death of a drug-addicted former boyfriend.

The 36-year-old was left devastated when her billionaire banking heir lover Matthew Mellon was found dead in 2018 aged 54 in his Mexico hotel room before he was due to check into rehab.

Before he died, he told one of his closest pals he had broken up with Kennedy as, along with issues over their 24-year age gap, he feared she would threaten his sobriety.

A source told RadarOnline.com about how Affleck should be aware of the same dangers: “Matthew’s death was a massive shock for Kick, and she’s never totally recovered from the trauma.

“Matthew had huge problems with drugs, and Ben’s inner circle is now scared him hanging around with a person with a past trauma linked to drugs could lead to his disastrously falling off the wagon.

“Ben has battled for years to kick his drink demons – and they’re now scared being with Kick could destroy all his good work.

“One of the rules of recovery is not to associate with anyone or put yourself in situations that could trigger addicts, and a troubled past linked to a tragic addict’s death is definitely one of those cases.

“This blossoming relationship with Kick is a major concern for everyone who loves Ben tremendously and respects all the hard work he has done to get – and remain – clean.”

The insider added Kennedy has known Affleck for years and has boasted they previously “hooked up”.

They also said she knew the Gone Girl actor when he was in a luxury rehab clinic in 2018 for his alcohol addiction in the Pacific Palisades, Los Angeles – the same area where Matthew Perry lived before his ketamine death.

The source said: “This was before his marriage to J Lo and after his marriage to Jennifer Garner. The romance is not new.”

Kennedy is said to have been dating the twice-divorced father of three Mellon for four months when he died on April 16, 2018, years after the two were first introduced at a New York City charity event.

Her boyfriend – who battled drug addiction his whole adult life – was set to check into the Clear Sky Recovery rehabilitation clinic on the same day he was found dead in his hotel room.

Kennedy had just spent several months traveling around Europe and the US with the troubled addict, and after his death took to Instagram to share a video of the pair dancing.

She said in a tribute caption: “Most who knew Matthew knew he had an incredible way of manifesting wildly unpredictable miracles that shocked and awed us all. Simply, he was magical.

“We also couldn’t really understand what he was ever talking about, almost ever. He had a way of moving around quickly and mumbling and then all of the sudden saying something completely insightful.

“I remember him turning to me once and saying, ‘Don’t let the fear of losing be greater than the excitement of winning’ before going back to the usual topics (UFOs….!!! Human cloning…!!!). It was hard not to be completely under his spell.”

Kennedy added Mellon loved his friends and said his two ex-wives Tamara Mellon, 57 – the co-founder of Jimmy Choo – and Nicole Hanley had been the “loves of his life”.

She added he adored his three children Minty, Force, and Olympia, saying they would inherit his charm, intelligence and “spectacularly bizarre” clothing collection.

One of Mellon’s friends wrote a tribute piece on him in which he revealed the banking heir had told him before he passed away his relationship with Kennedy was over.

Mellon told his pal: “I’m 54 and she’s 30”, before adding he feared she would threaten his sobriety.

Kennedy’s agent Christine Schott said after the banker’s death: “He was sober and they were enjoying life. Then all of a sudden he apparently fell off the wagon.”

Mellon is said to have relapsed five days before his death and stopped off in Palm Beach on his way to rehab so he could see his mother.

The banking scion then continued to the Dominican Republic before traveling to Cancun.

One source said Kennedy pleaded with Mellon to seek treatment and asked him not to come to the birthday party she was having on April 13 at Ceconni’s in Los Angeles and instead check into a facility.

Mellon had been battling an OxyContin addiction and once admitted he’d been spending $100,000 a month on the drug.

The facility where he was due to get treatment specializes in drug addiction treatment using Ibogain – a psychedelic plant-based drug unapproved for medical use in the United States.

Mellon blamed doctors for his addiction, fuming in 2016 they had been “writing prescriptions like they were Smarties”.

Affleck, 52, is said to have got together with Kennedy before he married Jennifer Lopez in 2022, but is not believed to have cheated on the singer with her.

But The Batman actor did reportedly “check out” of his relationship with Lopez, 55, before she filed for divorce on August 20 – and stated in court documents they split in April.

He and Kennedy have been spotted on a cozy date at the Polo Lounge in Beverly Hills, and a string of other Los Angeles hotspots.

A source said the pair first connected as Affleck is from Boston, adding: “When you live in Boston, the Kennedy family is royalty.”

But they stressed: “She is not a mistress. She is nothing like J Lo and likes to keep her private life private.”

Kennedy – born Kathleen Alexandra – is an actress who has enjoyed small parts in several TV shows and movies including Curb Your Enthusiasm, which starred her 58-year-old stepmother Cheryl Hines.

Her most recent role was as a “lazy tourist” in 2021’s Fear and Loathing in Aspen – about drug-addled ‘Gonzo’ journalist Hunter S. Thompson’s zany bid to become sheriff of Pitkin County, Colorado, in the 1970s.

She graduated from Stanford University in California where she studied history and theatre and has racked up an impressive social media presence – boasting more than 17,000 followers on Instagram.

Her friends have included Taylor Swift, 34, who dated her brother Conor Kennedy, 30, in 2012.

She was named for her great-aunt, Kathleen Kennedy, who was also known to the family as Kick.

After months of divorce rumors, Lopez pulled the plug on her marriage to Affleck by citing “irreconcilable differences” as the reason for the split.

She and Affleck – who has children Violet, 18, Fin, 15, and Samuel, 12, from his marriage to 52-year-old actress Jennifer Garner – first started dating in 2002 after growing close while shooting their movie Gigli.

They got engaged but Affleck infamously broke up with Lopez in 2004 as he was sick of the attention her fame brought – which left the singer devastated.

Kennedy did not respond to RadarOnline.com’s request for comment.

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Source: New York Post