Angelina Jolie has offered an insight into the aftermath of her split from Brad Pitt.
The former couple infamously met on the set of Mr. & Mrs. Smith in 2005 while he was still with Jennifer Aniston, however they always denied any rumours of an affair.
During their 12-year relationship the pair – dubbed ‘Brangelina’ – had six children together and were married in 2014.
But two years later they split, with Jolie, 50, also accusing Pitt, 61, of physically and verbally abused her and their children on a plane in 2016.
However, in the years since their marriage breakdown, the pair have also been locked in a lengthy legal battle over a French winery.
In October 2021 Jolie sold her half of their shared winery, known as Château Miraval, for $67million (£51million) after discussions for Pitt to buy her out fell through.
The following year he sued his ex-wife, claiming her decision to sell her stake to SPI Group owner Yuri Shefler was in violation of their previous agreement to not sell up without the other’s approval.
In a countersuit, she then said that Pitt had secretly manoeuvred to take control of the winery, also accusing him of ‘waging a vindictive war against’ her since she filed for divorce.
Now, the actress is desperate to end the ongoing legal battle so her family can start ‘healing’.
New legal documents reveal that Jolie has ‘never again’ returned to the property, where they were also married, since splitting from Pitt as she found it too painful.
‘[I gave Brad] control (and full residency) of our family homes in Los Angeles and at Miraval, without compensation, which I hoped would make him calmer in his dealings with me after a difficult and traumatic period,’ she wrote in the documents, which were obtained by People.
‘To this day, the children and I have never again set foot on the property, given its connection to the painful events leading to the divorce.
‘Post-separation, I immediately began to look for a new house for me and our children, initially renting a home while looking for a more stable solution. Because I wanted to ensure that Brad remained an important part of our children’s lives, I looked to buy a property near his home. At the time, my savings were tied up in Miraval, and I had not asked Brad for alimony or any other financial support.’
She went on: ‘It was a focal point of our family life. We were married there, I spent part of my pregnancy there and I brought our twin children home there from the hospital.
‘To have such a sudden break from my home and memories has been hard, and it was especially difficult for the children to have their lives so disrupted.’
The couple share children Maddox, 24, Pax, 21, Zahara, 20, Shiloh, 19, and 17-year-old twins Vivienne and Knox.
However, they have distanced themselves from their father in recent years, with the older children reported to have ‘virtually no contact’ with Pitt.
All three of his daughters have also dropped his surname.
In past legal documents, Jolie’s lawyers have said that Pitt refused to buy her out of the winery business because she did not want to sign a non-disclosure agreement ‘designed to force her silence about his abuse and cover-up’ about the 2016 flight.
At the time Jolie declined to press charges, while Pitt was not charged with any crimes.
Last year, eight years after their split, the former couple finally reached a divorce settlement.
On December 30, the divorce paperwork was signed, with her lawyer James Simon telling the Daily Mail his client was ‘relieved this one part is over.’
‘Frankly, Angelina is exhausted. More than eight years ago, Angelina filed for divorce from Mr Pitt. She and the children left all of the properties they had shared with Mr Pitt, and since that time she has focused on finding peace and healing for their family,’ he said.
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