Jennifer Lopez and Marc Anthony were married for nearly eight years before they made the decision to divorce in 2012.

Since then, Lopez has moved on, but still calls that time in her life a “tremendous low.”

“I went through a tremendous low,” Lopez told PEOPLE. “But I wouldn’t change anything [about my past] because it made me who I am.”

While the divorce was incredibly hard on her, Lopez said she took the time to reevaluate her relationships. She was able to find herself again and enter another loving relationship with her now boyfriend Casper Smart. “As women we can sometimes give ourselves away,” she said. “I was certainly guilty of that for some time. Now I realize I am good on my own, so now I can share my life with somebody.”

Lopez and Anthony had two children together while they were married 6-year-old twins Emme and Max, and Lopez credits them with teaching her how to love someone unconditionally.

“I just feel like I went through a real growth spurt as a human being [when I became a mother],” Lopez added. “Having my babies allowed me to realize what real unconditional love was.”

Lopez will become the first female to receive the Icon Award at the 2014 Billboard Music Awards May 18 on ABC, where she will be performing two songs. Lopez’s tenth studio album A.K.A. is scheduled to hit stores on June 17, and will feature the song First Love.

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