Brangelina couple no more
ANGELINA JOLIE has filed for divorce from Brad Pitt ( right), and is seeking custody of their six children, spelling the end for ‘Brangelina’, one of Hollywood’s highestprofile celebrity couples.
The 41-year-old Jolie filed legal documents on Monday citing irreconcilable differences with Pitt, 52, and listing their date of separation as Sept 15, according to entertainment news organisations TMZ and People.
“This decision was made for the health of the family,” Jolie’s attorney Robert Offer said in a statement circulated to US media. “She will not be commenting at this time, and asks that the family be given their privacy during this difficult time.”
Two of the world’s biggest stars, Pitt and Jolie formed a Hollywood power couple second to none, so famous that they were known simply by their combined first names.
“I am very saddened by this, but what matters most now is the well-being of our kids,” People quoted Pitt as saying in a statement. “I kindly ask the press to give them the space they deserve during this challenging time.”
The A-listers wed in France in August two years ago, but have been a couple since 2004 and have six children together, three of whom are adopted.
Jolie is seeking physical custody of the children, with visiting rights for Pitt, according to TMZ, which said she was not seeking spousal support.
Jolie had been married twice before, to actors Jonny Lee Miller and Billy Bob Thornton.
TMZ, which posted images of what it said were the court papers, reported unconfirmed claims that the actress filed for divorce over Pitt’s consumption of alcohol and marijuana, and anger issues.
“If there are allegations of substance use and anger problems, that could lead to Pitt having supervised parenting time,” Kelly Frawley, a partner at New York law firm Kasowitz, Benson, Torres and Friedman, told AFP.
“In situations like this, where the children presumably have multiple nannies, supervision should not prevent an amicable resolution because such nannies can act as the supervisors, thereby limiting disruption to the children and embarrassment to the supervised party.”
Pitt and Jolie fell in love on the set of the 2005 action film Mr & Mrs Smith, although they didn’t get engaged until 2012.
“Because of the film, we ended up being brought together to do all these crazy things, and I think we found this strange friendship and partnership that kind of just suddenly happened,” Jolie Pitt told Vogue in 2006.
Their joint fortune is estimated at over $300 million (RM1.23 billion), and they are among the highest-paid stars in Hollywood. – AFP