True love triumphs!
Jen and Brad back on: The soulmates’ secret hook-ups
When Brad Pitt and Jennifer Aniston fell in love for the first time way back in 1998, they managed the unimaginable. They kept their Hollywood romance a secret for almost two years.
Even after their 2005 split, it was something that Jen couldn’t help but smile about, explaining, “We had so much fun falling in love. It was so private – we kept it to ourselves for so long. It was something we were really proud of.”
Fast-forward to today and it looks like history is repeating, with our well-placed source confirming the pair have been secretly meeting every day for three weeks and are falling for each other all over again.
“Jen’s feelings have been growing stronger and stronger in the last few weeks and they’re very much acting like a couple again,” the source tells Woman’sDay. “It’s clear that the deep connection and strong chemistry they shared never went away and they’ve both realised how much love they still have for one another.”
But it’s been a rough ride to get to this point. Thirteen years ago, the couple split and the world was transfixed as Brad, 54, stepped out speedily with his Mr&MrsSmith co-star Angelina Jolie, 42.
There were wicked whispers that the romance started before the married couple had officially split, with Brad’s bodyguard later confirming there had been a crossover.
But a few months after their divorce was finalised, Jennifer, 49, said, “I choose to believe my husband.”
There’s no doubt that the Hollywood actor caused her heartache, but in coming years, Jennifer refused to speak badly of him.
In fact, even when Brad and Angelina were very much a fixture on the Hollywood circuit, the ever-loyal Jennifer told VanityFair, “I love Brad – I really love him. I will love him for the rest of my life. He’s a fantastic man.”
Reachingout
It’s perhaps no surprise then that in September 2017, a year after Brad and Angelina’s divorce, he returned to the former Friends actress in the hope that all could be forgiven.
“After everything he put her through, she forgave him and he is overwhelmed by that,” another source explains.
And his arrival back into her life couldn’t have come at a better time, with Jennifer looking for support herself as her marriage to Leftovers actor Justin Theroux crumbled.
At Christmas, the couple headed to Mexico in a lastditch attempt to save the romance. But two weeks ago, they finally confirmed their marriage was over, saying the split “was mutual and lovingly made at the end of last year”.
However, our source claims it didn’t quite play out like that.
Justin, 46, was allegedly outraged that Jennifer had forgiven her ex and that the Golden Globe-winning heart-throb was back on the scene. And much of the conversation in Mexico led back to Brad.
Their split actually came in early February, rather than at the end of 2017, when Justin failed to show at her birthday party. It was the nail in the coffin for the actress.
“The fact Brad was at her birthday celebration and Justin was not spoke volumes about where Jen is at right now,” says the source. “She was devastated that Justin didn’t show for her special day.”
Instead, it was Brad who had made a fuss at the bash organised by Jen’s best mate Courteney Cox. He ordered her favourite cake from a Los Angeles baker and then “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”.
But Justin’s part-time approach to their romance wasn’t anything new. In fact, it was something that had
apparently plagued the relationship since the pair got together in 2008 after meeting on the set of TropicThunder.
Even then, right at the start, they seemed like an unlikely pair. Jennifer was a beach-loving California girl, while Justin loved city life in New York. He hung out with hipsters in grotty tattoo parlours as she enjoyed the trappings of the Hollywood life she'd worked hard for.
And it's no secret that the pair couldn't agree on where to live, remaining in different states even after they married in a small garden ceremony in August 2015.
“Living in separate cities was something that had blighted their marriage since day one,” says the source. “Jen was sick of living a life where she felt like a single woman, having to always be the one to make the effort and jet to New York to see her husband, with him making little or no effort in return.”
But our source says Justin's apparent reluctance to fully commit was less about his love of NYC and more about his doubts that Jennifer was truly dedicated to the marriage herself.
Throughout their 10-year romance, there had been tell-tale signs that Jennifer had never truly moved on from her first husband.
The source adds, “While Justin always knew Jen loved him, he was also acutely aware of Jen's feelings for Brad during their entire relationship and it was a bone of contention all through their married life.
“She refused to let go of their wedding pictures and hung on to gifts he gave her throughout their marriage, which always infuriated Justin, but as she e pointed out, his New York apartment was filled with furniture bought by his ex Heidi Bivens.”
And last week, it was revealed that during their relationship, Justin had apparently found love notes es Brad had sent Jennifer after er their picture-perfect $1m Malibu wedding in 2000.
“He stumbled upon old Post-it notes Brad had written,” the source says. “They were sweet little Post-its like, ‘You looked nice tonight' or ‘Miss you already.'”
It was a blow, but one that Justin had become used to. “Jen loved Justin deeply, but she never lost her love for Brad,” tells the source.
“He was always her soulmate, the man who broke her heart but she always longed for. Justin lived in the shadow of that and deep down, he knew it too.”
Both single for the first time in over a decade, it would appear their stars are once again aligning. Yet our source explains that Jennifer's in no rush to strike up a fully fledged romance.
Instead, she's focusing on finalising her divorce while enjoying Mr Pitt's unwavering support. “Brad's been going all-out to make Jen laugh and help distract her from everything that's been going on,” says the source. “He's even digging out old comedies they used to watch together when they were married, playing around with the dogs and bringing out all his old jokes – which, she says, used to drive her mad, even if they did often have her in tears from laughing so hard.”
But her inner circle admit they can see she is falling for him and he for her, even if the former married couple are trying to keep it on friendly terms for now.
“Jen has told pals how
it’s just like it was back in the early days when they first met, before everything started to go so wrong,” tells the source.
“She said it’s as if they’re back to those blissful times where they were in the honeymoon period and it’s been massively lifting her spirits. Admitting that Brad has been such a comfort, Jen feels as if the pain of her marriage split has been completely masked. She’s calling Brad her ‘divorce band aid’.”