Jennifer Garner Says Reese Witherspoon Was 'There' During a 'Very Public, Very Hard Moment in My Life'

The actresses attended Hello Sunshine's Inaugural Shine Away Event in Downtown Los Angeles on Saturday

Jennifer Garner can always count on Reese Witherspoon for support.

Garner, 51, said that the actress and producer, 47, was there for her during a “very public, very hard moment in my life” during a panel discussion at Hello Sunshine's Inaugural Shine Away Event in Los Angeles Saturday.

“I think back to being pregnant. This one [Witherspoon] was sitting next to me,” Garner — who was on the panel with Witherspoon and Mindy Kaling — shared. “I think back to going through a very public, very hard moment in my life. She was right there and the way I needed to get through it was dance cardio."

The Yes Day actress did not disclose the difficult moment she was referring to, but she did go on to share her and Witherspoon's experiences of the athletic form of dance.

"And I danced cardio-d so hard, we broke her foot, but she kept going!” she said. “It was like, okay, we worked out at seven on vacation, we're going to work out again at two. She was like, ‘I'm going to be there. I'm going to be there.' "

Related: Jennifer Garner Admits She's 'Not Really Relaxed' When It Comes to This One Thing

Garner married Ben Affleck in 2005 and the pair divorced in 2018. They share three children, daughters Violet, 17, and Seraphina, 13, and son Samuel, 11. Affleck, 51, remarried Jennifer Lopez in July 2022.

Elsewhere in the panel discussion (moderated by AT&T chief marketing and growth officer Kellyn Smith Kenny), Garner praised Witherspoon for her support of her as a parent. “She'll also look at you and say, ‘Okay, you need to be finding a preschool. This kid is two and a half and they need to start next month. You actually have to get on this,’ “ she said.

Never miss a story — sign up for PEOPLE's free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from juicy celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.

Saturday’s Shine On event was the first hosted by Hello Sunshine — the media company founded by Witherspoon in 2016 — with the aim of bringing the Hello Sunshine community together in person.

At the event, Garner also spoke about how Witherspoon had provided space for her and other actresses to be able to speak freely about their industry without being silenced or supervised.

“Those meetings happened at Reese's house. And it was the first time I'd ever sat down with that many actresses in the same room that we weren't passing each other in an award show in big dresses, where we just sat,” the 13 Going On 30 star continued. “We've been siloed off the one place."

Related: Celebrity Divorce Lawyers Explain Why There Have Been So Many A-List Splits: 'It Almost Seems Contagious'

"The place that doesn't happen, the place that started the change where that no longer can happen is Hello Sunshine. It's just true," Garner stated.

Kaling, 44, also spoke highly of Witherspoon during the panel, describing her as "obviously so funny and so talented," before going on to praise her "as a friend, the person who can tell you tough things and you believe her."

Elsewhere in the event, which Fortune Feimster also attended, Tracee Ellis Ross and the Hello Sunshine founder sat down for a separate discussion. Witherspoon also revealed that Reese's Book Club pick for November will be Maybe Next Time by Cesca Major.

The Home Again actress described the event as “a dream come true” in a post on her Instagram Story afterward.

“Loved, loved, loved talking with these two about the power of connection,” Witherspoon wrote as she tagged a photo of Garner and Kaling at the event.

For more People news, make sure to sign up for our newsletter!

Read the original article on People.