Jen and Justin’s marriage split
My heart is broken! Tears, jealousy and betrayal; Plus Justin’s ultimatum: It’s Brad or me
When Brad Pitt left her for Angelina Jolie in 2005, Jennifer Aniston’s world came crashing down around her. It took the devastated former
Friends actress years to get over her first husband and she swore she would never again be plunged into such depths of despair.
Fast-forward 13 years, however, and Jennifer is once again in agony, distraught and inconsolable after confirming the end of her two-and-a-halfyear marriage to Justin Theroux. A source close to the star tells
Woman’sDay, “Jen and Justin have been growing apart for some time, so this split came as no surprise to everyone around them, but Jen is understandably completely heartbroken.
“She’s been comfort-eating and has started smoking again, as well as dealing with crippling insomnia and anxiety attacks as she struggles to deal with yet another painful divorce. While her friends and family have been rallying round to support her, she’s been a complete mess.”
In a statement released via her publicist late last week, Jennifer, 49, and Justin, 46 – who began dating in 2010 and finally married in a backyard ceremony at their home in Los Angeles in August 2015 – insisted that the decision to separate “was mutual and lovingly made at the end of last year”, adding, “We are determined to maintain the deep respect and love that we have for one another.”
However, we’re told the split was hardly mutual and far from loving, with Justin growing
increasingly jealous of his wife’s rekindled friendship with ex-husband Brad, 54. Following rumours the pair had organised frequent catch-ups at her ex-husband’s home and planned to meet on a secret Aspen getaway, Justin reportedly delivered an ultimatum – cut Brad off or he’d walk away.
It was the final straw for Jennifer, who was fed up with spending so much of their long-distance marriage on opposite sides of the States because of Justin’s ongoing reluctance to ditch his New York bachelor pad in order to live permanently with her in LA.
“Justin joined her on her annual Christmas trip to Mexico, but it was clear things had already broken down between them,” reports our source. “Their entire trip was blighted with rows and tearful showdowns over Jen’s growing frustation with their separate living situations, and his hurt and anger over her reunion with Brad.
“With Justin refusing to move to LA with Jen to make a go of things, and resentment and anger between them at an all-time high, she chose not to ditch Brad, the man who’s shown her more loyalty in the last few months than her own husband. That was the tipping point for Justin, who said he had no choice but to cut ties with his wife.”
Before news of the split broke, Jennifer – whose $320 million fortune is protected by a prenuptial agreement – made her first appearance as a single woman at Ellen DeGeneres’ star-studded 60th birthday bash, where she put on a brave face, staying close to her gal pals Olivia Munn and Kathy Najimy.
However, the façade cracked after several people asked her where Justin was and how he was doing. A fellow guest reports, “All the questions seemed to hit a nerve and she had a tearful breakdown. She was sobbing hysterically.”
The next day, Jennifer celebrated her own 49th with a luncheon hosted by her former Friends co-star Courteney Cox, 53, at her Malibu Beach house. Tellingly, there was no sign of Justin, who had cancelled his flight to LA and was seen walking his dog in New York on the day.
In his place was Brad, who delighted Jennifer, a big fan of Mexican food, by bringing his favourite caterer to set up a taco and margarita station for her and her girlfriends. He also spoilt the birthday girl with gifts, including oil paintings of her beloved dogs and a $50,000 bracelet made by Tobey Maguire’s ex-wife Jennifer Meyer, a jewellery designer and close pal.
The cherry on top was a lavish dessert created by the same bakery that makes all his kids’ birthday cakes, an insider reports. “He also made a heartfelt speech about how Jen had been there for him at his darkest times and how happy he was that she was back in his life.”
Although there were years of bitterness and resentment in which they never made contact, Jennifer has confessed, “I will love Brad for the rest of my life. You can’t take away good memories.”
After a decade of frosty silence, the actress got back in touch with her ex when Angelina, 42, blindsided him with divorce papers in September 2016. She offered Brad a shoulder to cry on and since then, they’ve become increasingly close, with the father-of-six opening up about his nasty custody battle and Jennifer confessing her marriage was in crisis.
The HorribleBosses actress allegedly admitted to Brad that she and Justin – who met on the Hawaiian set of Tropic
Thunder in 2007 and began dating three years later – hadn’t been intimate in months due to their longdistance marriage and that when they did spend time in the same city, they’d sleep in separate beds.
“Jen repeatedly begged Justin to seek marriage counselling with her, but he refused,” reports our source. “The only compromise he made was seeing a life coach, but she said after just two sessions, he lost interest and
it became clear that he was over it – he didn’t want to fight for their marriage.
She felt like she gave everything she could to her husband and even booked them on a relationship retreat, organised romantic trips for them and endlessly tried to make greater efforts to spend time with him, but Justin shut off from her and shot her down with endless excuses.”
Jennifer confessed to Brad that she had grown jealous of Justin’s close friendship with his Leftovers co-star Emily Mead, 29, and at one point, she suspected he was having an affair.
“She apparently once jetted into New York unannounced to see if she could catch him out and reportedly even hired private detectives,” claims our source, “but none of her theories came to anything and she simply became more and more paranoid.
“Jen would often message Justin’s family and friends trying to squeeze information out of them, and it’s rumoured
she even tried tracking his phone at one point. Her lack of trust was enough of a sign that their romance was at breaking point.”
Already acquainted with the most intimate details of her marriage, Brad was the first person Jennifer called when her relationship finally crumbled.
Our source says, “She still loves Justin and hates the idea of going through another divorce. She knew she was playing with fire when she welcomed Brad back into her life, but she’s been really enjoying his company and remembering why they fell in love all those years ago.
“Right now, she’s being comforted by all her loved ones, who are taking it in shifts to stay with her at her Bel-Air mansion so she’s not alone. But it’s Brad who’s been her rock throughout all this, giving her a muchneeded distraction from the heartache and pain of another failed marriage.”