Nabbing her first front page for the publication since 2005, Jennifer Lopez took over the cover of the April 2012 “Shape” issue of Vogue.

The 42-year-old “American Idol” judge donned fabulous outfits including a Valentino strapless jumpsuit with rose detail and a Michael Kors cashmere tank top with cotton-and-silk skirt for the Mert Alas & Marcus Piggott shoot while talking about growing to believe in herself and the men in her life – both past and present.

Highlights from Miss Lopez’s interview are as follows. For more, be sure to pay a visit to Vogue!

On Benny Medina:
“I just think of him as a real, creative soul mate. He’s been the most consistent man in my life besides my dad. We love each other. People always ask about all the men I dated, and I am like, ‘You know the Benny and Jennifer story? That’s the real story here.’ ”

On Marc Anthony helping her believe in herself:
“He always told me what a beautiful voice I have. He was like, ‘It’s in there; you just gotta let it out. It’s a confidence thing with you.’ Then all of a sudden one day I was like, I’m good at this! Oh, man! People are not giving me jobs because they feel sorry for me! I am an actress. I am a singer. I am a performer. That’s what I do! Once I started giving myself a little credit, the whole world opened up.”

On being a lover by nature:
“By nature I am not tough, believe it or not… I am a lover. And with my kids I am even softer. I realize with my son, I have to sometimes be tough, especially now when he’s pushing boundaries. With my daughter, I can get a little stern with her and she pretty much will listen. But my son will just scream and yell and run. I’m like, Aaaaah, what do I do with this?!”

On current beau, Casper Smart:
“He’s adorable. But you already see that… He really is. He’s a good egg. I don’t want to talk about it too much. It’s my private thing.”