Angelina bans Brad at Christmas
Christmas: a time for hope, cheer and goodwill to all men. Unless you’re Brangelina. As the holiday season approaches, a new row has erupted between the A-list’s fallen super-couple. Grazia reports…
AS NEWS BROKE last month that Brad Pitt had finally been acquitted of child abuse charges by the FBI, many speculated it could at last signal a ceasefire in his ferocious divorce battle with Angelina Jolie.
Not so. According to insiders, the holiday season has given way to yet another war between the couple – this time over who gets to spend Christmas with their six children: Maddox, 15,
Pax, 13, Zahara, 11, Shiloh, 10, and eight-year-old twins Knox and Vivienne.
‘Brad missed Thanksgiving with the kids because of the divorce, and he’s made it clear that he won’t give up Christmas without a fight,’ said a source close to the couple. ‘He doesn’t care if it makes things uncomfortable for Angelina.
‘She is already scrambling to make plans as far away from Brad as possible and is desperate to get the kids out of the country. But she is being advised against any such behaviour because Brad could use it against her in the custody battle.’
The latest acrimony comes after Angelina filed yet more court documents outlining her custody arrangement with Brad last week. But while they initially appeared to suggest movement towards a resolution, sources close to Brad quickly hit back that ‘nothing had changed’.
In fact, the documents repeated the couple’s existing temporary agreement, which has been in place since October. The move led many to wonder why Angelina had chosen to refile them, with some questioning how wise it was to draw attention yet again to papers that reveal private details about her children, including their schedules and whereabouts.
According to a second source in Brad’s camp, the reason is clear. ‘This is pure spin and manipulation, as absolutely nothing has changed. The original agreement is temporary and voluntary and that has not changed in the slightest; absolutely no binding agreement has been made, no final decisions have been made, and there is nothing that should be presented as a legally binding custody arrangement at this time. There is zero legal purpose for filing this. Zero.’
The first source added, ‘It seems as if Angelina has re-filed in an attempt to reassert her dominance in the custody battle. Brad thinks she’s attempting to win in the court of public opinion by making him look bad, when he’s agreed to all of her outlandish demands so far in an attempt to keep the peace.’
Days later, Brad requested an emergency court hearing to ask a judge to seal all documents relating to the custody battle, to prevent any further damage to the children. It was swiftly denied, with Angelina’s team accusing Brad of acting in his own interests.
The current agreement says that Angelina ‘shall have physical custody of the minor children’, while Brad is permitted ‘agreed-upon therapeutic visitation’, determined by psychologist Ian Russ. It also stipulates that Brad must go to individual and group therapy sessions at least once a week. He has voluntarily agreed to drug and alcohol testing at random times at least four times a month, too, while the children are also attending therapy sessions.
Grazia understands the current rules were put in place while Brad was under investigation by the Los Angeles County Department of Children and Family Services, following an incident where he was alleged to have ‘got physical’ with Maddox on a private jet just days before Angelina filed for divorce. Last week, Angelina claimed the children needed to see a specialist to deal with the trauma of the event.
It’s yet more evidence that relations between the couple have reached an all-time low, after weeks of mud-slinging from both sides centring mainly on their capabilities as parents.
‘Angelina continues to make Brad’s life a living hell when it comes to seeing their kids,’ said the source. ‘It’s the “therapeutic visitation” that’s been killing Brad on the inside. He detests it and Angie knows this. She’s making out as though this is all beyond her control, when really she is the driving force behind making things as difficult as possible.
‘Brad is doing his best not to crack under the pressure. He’s been doing the drug tests and is trying to “make nice” in front of her army of therapists because he’s in this for the long game.
‘He has vowed privately that once he gets through this and proves he’s not the bad guy, he’s going to bury her in court.’
And as ever, resolution seems a long way off. According to the first source, ‘Brad knows that Angelina misbehaving around Christmas will play into his own case of her not being a fit parent. But he’s also wary that starting a blazing row set up by Angelina could derail his chance of beating her in court. At the moment, it’s shaping up to be a very ugly holiday season for the family.’ n
Angelina continues to make Brad’s life a living hell when it comes to seeing the kids – he is doing his best not to crack under the pressure