Until Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt called things off for good, their break up looked like an imminent Hollywood movie in its own right.
From their fire on screen chemistry in Mr. & Mrs. Smith, to knowing each other’s ‘philanthropic tastes’ (as he would describe it), the couple really did have it all.
For more than a decade, they developed a family of six children together. Maddox, Pax, Zahara, Shiloh, twins Knox and Vivienne are theirs they adopted.
But they were celebrated as one of the most powerful couples in the industry.
The cracks started showing, however, behind the glitz and glamour, but they seemed to be perfect.
Very much in the spotlight for Jolie and Pitt were their personal and parenting challenges. They reportedly found it hard to come to grips with differing parenting styles, which merely compounded their problems.
She has spoken in interviews of how the stress she endured deeply affected her body. “I get very stressed in my body.” I have my blood sugar go up and down,” Jolie told PEOPLE during a candid conversation.
Jolie attributes the ridiculous pressure to the health issues she started experiencing as the tension in her marriage escalated. In a 2023 interview, she has spoken about her diagnosis with Bell’s palsy, an attack that paralyses the side of the face.
Jolie was diagnosed six months after she filed for divorce from Pitt in 2017. She revealed: ‘I suddenly had Bell’s palsy six months before divorce.’
It was a frightening reminder that emotional and psychological stress can overtly come into manifest in the physical.
According to the Mayo Clinic, one theory that Bel’s palsy is formed by inflammation of the facial nerves may be caused by stress or the virus.
The condition caused temporary facial paralysis, which is a deeply unsettling thing to go through, said Jolie.
The couple’s split in 2016 came after media reports said the couple had a heated and allegedly violent fight aboard their private plane.
In 2022, a heavily redacted FBI report said Pitt had a physical and verbal encounter with Jolie and his children on the flight.
Pitt grabbed Jolie and told her, ‘You’re f***ing up this family,’ Jolie told MTV Tonight on Tuesday, while the children reportedly watched on in distress. But Pitt has protested being accused of physical abuse, saying that although the tensions were high, he had never hurt anyone.
‘That is Brad who has owned everything he’s been responsible for, but we’re not having Brad owning things he didn’t do,’ said his representatives.
The divorce proceeded along with a long and bitter battle over custody and financial matters.
They didn’t reach a settlement until December 2024, eight years after legal wrangling began. ‘I am glad to end this chapter in my life,’ Jolie’s lawyer said.
Jolie’s ups and downs in health during and after marriage to Pitt provides a stark lesson about the link between mental and physical health.
After the divorce, she moved on to recover and to be happy with her children by spending quiet time at home during the holiday season.
She hasn’t let her personal struggles get in the way of her professional goals. For her portrayal of Maria Callas in the biopic Maria, Jolie is going to be making her rounds on the awards circuit in the coming weeks, earning critical acclaim.
The actress had triumphantly returned for a standing ovation at the premiere of the film at the Venice Film Festival.
But Jolie began to disclose the depth of her private health crisis only after the personal and professional ordeal, although only now.
But her blood sugar had been flitting, and her diagnosis of Bell’s palsy underscored how deep an impact her high-profile marriage had taken on her.
Angelina Jolie’s story highlights how being trapped in the mire of an extraordinary, taking for granted. Her resilience and strength to overcome life’s most difficult moments is reflected in her story of personal rebuilding: as she moves on with her life and work.