Gwyneth Paltrow explains her breakups with Brad Pitt, Ben Affleck

Gwyneth Paltrow sat down for an interview with Howard Stern on Wednesday, and was game to reflect on her past A-list romances -- and why they didn't work out.

The actress opened up about Brad Pitt, whom she dated after they co-starred in David Fincher's 1995 thriller "Se7en." "I definitely fell in love with him," Paltrow said on Stern's Sirius XM radio show. "He was so gorgeous and sweet. I mean, he was Brad Pitt!"

When they broke up, her father "was so devastated," she added. "My father loved him like a son."

"I was such a kid," Paltrow admitted. "I was 22 when we met. It's taken me until 40 to get my head out of my ass. You can't make that decision when you're 22 years old . . . I wasn't ready, and he was too good for me . . . I didn't know what I was doing."

As for Ben Affleck, whom she dated and co-starred with in the 2000 film "Bounce," Paltrow said he was "not in a good place in his life to have a girlfriend."

She went on to praise Affleck's now-wife, Jennifer Garner, saying, "Not only is she beautiful but she's so warm, she cooks, and she's so into her kids and she's great. She's hilarious. I had a girls' dinner and she came over. She's my neighbor. I really like her a lot."

Paltrow, who is promoting her new film "Mortdecai," also addressed her split from Coldplay frontman Chris Martin, with whom she has two children.

She and Martin are "always going to be a family," she told Stern, adding, "We actually have a really strong friendship and we laugh and have fun."

To listen to the full interview, head to Stern's website.