How devastated Angelina Jolie broke news of her split from Brad Pitt amid sensational claims he cheated with Marion Cotillard
ANGELINA Jolie dumped Brad Pitt amid claims of an affair with actress Marion Cotillard, partying with hookers, drug and alcohol abuse, and rows over their kids.
She filed for divorce after two years of marriage, citing irreconcilable differences.
Angelina Jolie has filed for divorce after two years of marriage to Brad Pitt
Happier times... Hello! reports on the couple's wedding in 2014
Angelina, 41, wants full custody of their six children, claiming fellow Hollywood superstar Brad has “an anger problem”.
A source close to Brad, 52, said: “He was devastated but it is over for ever.”
The pair, who had been together for 12 years, are said to be worth more than £300million.
Angelina, 41, dumped film heart-throb Brad, 52, amid allegations of an affair with his Allied co-star Marion Cotillard, partying with Russian hookers, drug and alcohol abuse, and bust-ups over their kids.
Last night a source close to Brad told The Sun: “Angelina has been very unhappy for some time — there was a constant string of arguments about their future.
“She tried to make the marriage work time and time again for the sake of the children, but they were in turmoil and it became too hard to see a way out.
“Their lives are heading in completely different directions.
“Angelina wants to be seen as a humanitarian while Brad continues to live the Hollywood lifestyle and is in the midst of some sort of midlife crisis.
“She ended up telling him earlier this month, ‘I can’t do this any more’. He was devastated — but it is over for ever. There will be no fairytale here.”
Brad admitted it was a “challenging time”. In a statement, he added: “I am very saddened by this, but what matters most now is the well-being of our kids.”
Angelina’s lawyer Robert Offer said on her behalf: “This decision was made for the health of the family.
“She will not be commenting, and asks that the family be given its privacy at this time.”
We revealed that she had filed for divorce on our website yesterday afternoon.
The Sun can disclose that the couple have been living separate lives for months following explosive bust-ups over Brad’s parenting of their children.
Angelina has now put all her focus on humanitarian work, while he concentrates on launching a resort in Croatia and continuing to enjoy a Hollywood lifestyle.
The divorce filing comes amid reports in the US that Angelina hired a private detective to investigate whether Brad was cheating on her with French star Marion, 40.
The pair got close filming romantic World War Two thriller Allied together in London this February.
The storyline sees the pair fall in love with each other during a mission to kill a German enemy.
The New York Post reported last night that Angelina enlisted the help of a private eye to prove that Brad was up to no good on set.
A source told the US paper: “The atmosphere (off-set) was full of hard drugs and Russian hookers, and Angie was told Brad got caught up in it.
“He’s in the throes of some insane midlife crisis, and Angie is fed up.”
Shooting moved from London to the Spanish island of Gran Canaria where it emerged that Brad saved Marion from drowning during a scene on a raft at sea.
However, Marion has been in a relationship with actor and writer Guillaume Canet since 2007.
The pair starred together in 2003 flick Love Me If You Dare and 2007 film The Last Flight.
They have a five-year-old son together named Marcel.
The couple were pictured together last week with their child and friends in France. With Allied due to be released in November, Brad and Marion are expected to spend more time together on promoting the film — prompting awkwardness for the pair.
However, sources close to Angelina last night insisted Marion was not the reason behind the split.
Instead, her friends have cited Brad’s increasingly wild lifestyle.
US website TMZ reported Jolie was “fed up” with Brad smoking marijuana and drinking.
Sources close to her also accused him of having “an anger problem”, which could become dangerous for the children.
The couple have six kids together — Maddox, 15, Pax, 12 Zahara, 11, Shiloh, ten, and eight-year-old twins, Knox and Vivienne. Maddox, Zahara and Pax were adopted from orphanages in Cambodia, Ethiopia and Vietnam, respectively.
The remaining three are their biological children.
The couple will share legal custody of their six children, according to legal documents.
But Angelina has asked for physical custody, meaning she wants them to live with her.
She asked for Brad to have visitation rights only.
Johnny Depp’s divorce lawyer Laura Wasser will represent the actress through the divorce.
Last night Marion Cotillard was said to be “absolutely devastated” by claims surrounding her. She is said to be expecting her second child with Guillaume, 43.
A source close to her family in Paris said: “Marion and Guillaume are blissfully happy.”
Brad was previously married to Friends star Jennifer Aniston, 47.
Angelina — who starred as Lara Croft in the Tomb Raider films — joins a long list of Brad’s exes who also include Gwyneth Paltrow and ’80s pop singer Sinitta.
Last night Sinitta told The Sun: “It’s nothing to do with me. I haven’t spoken to him about it.”
The warring couple had not made an official public appearance together since last November at the premiere of their flop movie By The Sea, which was made in Malta.
The film — ironically about an unhappy couple — is believed to have been a key factor in the relationship breaking down.
Brad and Angelina have not been seen in public together since July.
They were snapped by fans on two separate occasions — once at a juice bar in Los Angeles and at breakfast with their kids on another occasion.
Angelina has been focused on her humanitarian efforts as a Special Envoy for the UN fighting for refugees, while Brad has been busy with his multiple acting and business ventures.
Earlier this month Angelina visited a refugee camp in Jordan where she urged world leaders to find a solution to the Syrian crisis.
Meanwhile Brad, whose films have included Fight Club and Ocean’s Eleven, spent the first part of this month in Croatia.
He is negotiating a £1billion deal to build a luxury resort in the coastal town of Zablace, complete with villas, a golf course, shops and a flagship hotel.
Brad and Angelina created an international sensation when they got together while filming the movie Mr and Mrs Smith, where they played a married couple.
Rumours of an on-set romance between the pair swirled despite the fact Brad was still married to Jennifer Aniston at the time.
Angelina was previously married to actor Billy Bob Thornton and Jonny Lee Miller.
Social media users shared hilarious mock-ups of Jennifer celebrating Brad and Angelina’s split.
Jennifer — dumped by Brad in 2005 in favour of Angelina — is seen rejoicing in various mock clips and memes.
In one viral image, she is seen dancing around in a bright red cheerleader outfit in a classic scene from sitcom Friends.
In another snap, she was seen punching the air with a look of elation on her face with the caption: “Such sad news that Brad and Angelina couldn’t make it work.”
'SAD BUT INEVITABLE' - Dan Wootton, Bizarre Editor
I HEARD the sad news that Brad was being divorced by Angelina in a phone call from a source close to them early yesterday.
For the past year Hollywood’s most famous couple had been leading almost entirely separate lives, only being brought together every now and again for events with their six children.
Angelina is a former drug user who has turned her life around to become one of the world’s most respected humanitarians.
Brad, on the other hand, has started to relish his position as Hollywood’s ageing heart-throb — partying and enjoying his superstar status.
Their lifestyles inevitably clashed — and now one of Hollywood’s most glamorous couples is no more.