Jen’s heartbreak

Jen’s tragic farewell to mum

As Jennifer Aniston mourns the loss of her mother Nancy Dow, who passed away last week, the grieving actress has found solace in the fragile peace she brokered with the woman she once froze out of her life for more than a decade.

Their dysfunctional motherdaughter relationship played out in the spotlight for almost 20 years. At the best of times, their interactions were strained, and at the worst they were nonexistent, with Jen, 47, describing her mother as being “unforgiving” and “very critical’’ of her.

Rocky start

Jennifer was only nine when Nancy, a model and actress, and her father, Days of Our Lives star John Aniston, 82, divorced.

Their relationship hit rock bottom when Nancy gave an interview to TV show Hard Copy in 1996 and the Friends star cut off all contact. Against

Jennifer’s wishes, Nancy then released a tell-all memoir in 1999, From Mother and Daughter to Friends , which laid open their estrangement and its effect on her, and delved into their family life.

But in the days before Nancy’s death, aged 79, Jen made the difficult decision to be at her ailing mother’s bedside, so she could say her final goodbyes.

Family reunion

Although they reconciled several years ago, it is thought their last goodbye was the first time they had seen each other in five years.

Jen was so anxious about the reunion, she refused to be alone with her mother in the modest North Hollywood apartment.

“Jen was a nervous wreck,’’ a source told In Touch magazine. “She has always hated visiting her mother, and this time was no different.’’

No doubt their troubled relationship was playing on Jen’s mind as she promoted her latest movie, Mother’s Day , over the past month.

Now she will be relying on the love and support of her husband Justin Theroux, 44, to help her deal with her loss.

Justin is the person credited with convincing his wife to reconcile with her mother, teaming up with Jen’s older half-brother John Melick, 58, to help get the two women to overcome their issues.

In 2011, after Nancy had a stroke, Jennifer made her second-last visit, taking Justin to introduce them both.

It was during this encounter that Justin discovered how deeply affected Jen was by the maternal relationship. “Justin realised Jen’s issues with her mum ran deeper than he ever knew,’’ the insider told In Touch.

Jen alluded to those “issues” in an interview with Vanity Fair. “I don’t know if I would have known how beautiful she was if she wasn’t always pointing out how unbeautiful I was,’’ she said.

“Because she was a model, she was gorgeous, stunning. I wasn’t. I never was. I honestly still don’t think of myself in that sort of light.”

Despite the bad blood, Justin continued to attempt to build bridges with Nancy – but not enough to earn her an invitation to their wedding. Nancy was also left off the guest list when her daughter married Brad Pitt, 52, back in 2000, which Jen called a “torturous decision’’. At the time, she said, “I still can’t believe I got married and my mother has never met this person I married.”

Final goodbyes

Last week, Nancy suffered a series of strokes and she was rushed to a Californian hospital on May 23, “close to death’’.

That Thursday, Jennifer, who is believed to have been in New York at the time, issued a statement saying her mother had passed away surrounded by her loved ones.

“It is with great sadness that my brother John and I announce the passing of our mother Nancy Dow,” she told People.

“She was 79 years old and passed peacefully surrounded by family and friends after enduring a long illness,” the actress continued. “We ask that our family’s privacy be respected as we grieve our loss.”

‘Jen always hated visiting her mum, and this time was no different’