Actor and director Angelina Jolie has revealed that her decision to split with husband Brad Pitt was due to the “wellbeing” of their family, as the couple split after two years of marriage in September 2016.
In a wide-ranging interview with Vogue, the 45-year-old superstar discussed everything from the decision-making process around her adoptive children, to the ongoing “healing” process associated with the break-up of her family.
Watch as Angelina Jolie gets emotional dropping eldest son off to college:Discussing the split with Pitt, Jolie explained:
“I separated for the wellbeing of my family. It was the right decision. I continue to focus on their healing. Some have taken advantage of my silence, and the children see lies about themselves in the media, but I remind them that they know their own truth and their own minds. In fact, they are six very brave, very strong young people.”
The couple’s relationship was at the heart of Hollywood gossip for over a decade, following the pair’s collaboration on the 2005 action flick ‘Mr and Mrs Smith’ and Pitt’s separation from previous partner Jennifer Anniston.
Having publicly acknowledging their relationship for the first time back in 2006, the pair finally tied the knot at a ceremony in the south of France in 2014. Jolie, however, filed for divorce a little over two years later, citing irreconcilable differences to the court.
In addition to the revelations around her divorce, Jolie also told Vogue how she had originally harbored concerns around the adoption of her two children Maddox and Pax Jolie-Pitt, citing the complicated history surrounding the two countries of their birth. As she put it:
“I did originally think not to adopt from Vietnam because Mad was Cambodian and the two countries have a complex history. Then I was reading a book on human rights and found myself staring at an image of a Vietnamese fighter held captive by Americans. I thought of my own country and our involvement in south-east Asia. I thought of focusing on a future where we were all family. I am very blessed to have been allowed to be their mom. I am grateful every day.”
