Angelina Jolie is opening up about the emotional toll of her split from Brad Pitt — and why their once-dreamy French estate became a painful reminder of the past.
In new court filings obtained by Page Six, the Maleficent star reflected on the “emotionally difficult” period that led to their 2016 divorce, describing how the aftermath deeply affected both her and their six children.
“The events leading to my need to separate from my ex-husband were emotionally difficult for me and our children,” she wrote in a declaration filed on October 6 at Los Angeles Superior Court.
Jolie said she left Pitt “control (and full residency) of our family homes in Los Angeles and at Miraval, without compensation,” hoping it would “make him calmer in his dealings” after a “traumatic period.”
She added that she and the kids “have never again set foot” at Château Miraval due to its “connection to the painful events leading to the divorce.”
The actress, 50, claimed her savings were tied up in Miraval and that she hadn’t asked Pitt for “alimony or any other financial support.” She said she even declined work for two years to focus on her children’s “recovery,” adding she had to borrow money from Pitt “with interest” to afford a home.
Now, Jolie is asking the court to order Pitt to pay her $33,000 in legal fees after he allegedly refused to withdraw a motion demanding private messages about the property dispute.
Her lawyers argued, “Pitt still refused to withdraw it. Jolie thus requests that the Court order Pitt to reimburse her for the substantial attorneys’ fees she was forced to incur.”
The Fight Club star, 61, has accused Jolie of selling her share of the French winery to the Stoli Group without his permission.