Angelina Jolie, 46, claims she feared for the safety of her ‘whole family’ during her marriage to Brad Pitt
Angelina Jolie has claimed she feared for the safety of her ‘whole family’, including her children, during her marriage to Brad Pitt.
The 46-year-old said her experiences while in a relationship with the fellow Hollywood A-lister had made her realise the importance of children’s rights.
When asked to elaborate further she said she ‘can’t speak about’ the situation due to ongoing custody proceedings.
But, during an interview with the Guardian’s Weekend magazine, the Tomb Raider actress is said to have nodded to confirm she was alluding to her divorce and allegations of domestic abuse she made against Pitt.
Angelina Jolie has claimed she feared for the safety of her ‘whole family’, including her children, during her marriage to Brad Pitt
Asked if she feared for the safety of her children during the relationship she told the publication: ‘Yes, for my family. My whole family.’
She said of her decision to file for divorce after 14 years together: ‘It took a lot for me to be in a position where I felt I had to separate from the father of my children.’
Miss Jolie added that she had been traumatised and ‘broken’ by the ‘horrific’ experience which she alleged had gone on for ‘the last decade’.
But, she claimed that, in spite of it all, she wanted her whole family ‘including their dad’ to ‘heal and be peaceful’.
‘We’ll always be a family,’ she added.
The 46-year-old said her experiences while in a relationship with the fellow Hollywood A-lister had made her realise the importance of children’s rights
Miss Jolie was speaking to promote her new book, Know Your Rights – giving young people the ‘knowledge and tools’ they need to utilise their rights.
During the interview she criticised the US government for not doing more to protect the rights of minors.
She said the fact the US has not fully ratified the United Nations convention on the rights of the child (UNCRC), had had a large impact on her legal battle with the Fight Club star, claiming their adopted son Maddox had been ‘denied a voice in court’ as a result.
Miss Jolie said her divorce and custody battle with Pitt, in which she alleges the star was ‘verbally abusive and physical’ towards Maddox, had been ‘horrific’.
Documents filed by Miss Jolie in March ‘under seal’ – meaning they cannot be viewed by the public – indicated that she was going to accuse her ex-husband of domestic violence and intended to prove it with video recordings and testimony from their children.
During an interview with the Guardian’s Weekend magazine, the Tomb Raider actress is said to have nodded to confirm she was alluding to her divorce and allegations of domestic abuse she made against Pitt
But it was reported that permission to do this at a trial was refused by a judge in May this year.
The couple, dubbed Brangelina, met in 2005 on the set of Mr & Mrs Smith in which they played married assassins. Pitt was married to Friends star Jennifer Aniston at the time.
He tied the knot with Miss Jolie in France in 2014.
The actress sought a divorce ‘for the health of the family’ and the marriage finally ended in 2019.
It is thought the split was triggered by an alleged violent incident aboard a private plane taking the family from Paris to Minnesota overnight on September 14, 2016 – just five days before it was announced they were separating.
Pitt, who last year won his third Oscar, has admitted shouting at one of his children but denied ever being abusive. His lawyers were contacted for comment on Miss Jolie’s new claims.
The couple have six children – adopted sons Maddox and Pax, adopted daughter Zahara and their three children together, Shiloh and twins Knox and Vivienne.