Jennifer Garner jokes she's dating Brad Pitt

Jennifer Garner caused a stir on Monday (03Oct16) when she joked that she's dating newly single actor Brad Pitt.

The 44-year-old actress has hit headlines over recent months due to questions about the state of her marriage to estranged husband Ben Affleck, following images of the pair going out for dinner together without their three children.

However, Jennifer attempted to distract reporters from asking the constant questions about her personal life as she grabbed a coffee after a workout session in Los Angeles.

As she was set upon by a group of paparazzi, Jennifer smiled and told the crowd: "Brad Pitt and I are dating!"

When a videographer questioned her, "You're dating Brad Pitt?", Jennifer replied, "Yeah!"

Her joke caused the photographers to burst into laughter, with the actress continuing to giggle as she made her way back to her car.

Former Alias star Jennifer previously compared her marriage to Ben to Brad's former marriage to Jennifer Aniston, telling Vanity Fair magazine in March (16) that the couples both faced requests from fans to reunite.

"When Jen Aniston and Brad Pitt broke up, I was dying to see something that said they were getting back together," Jennifer told the publication.

During the interview, Jennifer insisted that she doesn't regret marrying Ben, who she split from after ten years of marriage in June, 2015.

“I didn’t marry the big fat movie star; I married him,” the actress said. "And I would go back and remake that decision. I ran down the beach to him, and I would again. You can’t have these three babies and so much of what we had. He’s the love of my life. What am I going to do about that? He’s the most brilliant person in any room, the most charismatic, the most generous. He’s just a complicated guy."

Brad is newly single after wife Angelina Jolie filed for divorce last month (Sep16) after two years of marriage.