They were widely considered to be one of the strongest couples in Hollywood.
But Angelina Jolie shocked the world on Tuesday when it was revealed that she has filed for divorce from Brad Pitt after two years of marriage.
Now DailyMail.com looks back at the stars’ 12-year romance, which began with them meeting on Mr. & Mrs. Smith when Brad was still married to Jennifer Aniston, and led to them sharing six 𝘤𝘩𝘪𝘭𝘥ren together.
Calling it quits: Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie have split 12 years after meeting on the set of 2005’s Mr. & Mrs. Smith (pictured)
Romance rumours: Brad was still married to first wife Jennifer Aniston when he started working with Angelina on the movie (seen 2004), however that didn’t stop rumours of an on-set romance from swirling
May 2004: Brad Pitt was still married to first wife Jennifer Aniston when he started working with Angelina Jolie on Mr. & Mrs. Smith, however that didn’t stop rumours of an on-set romance from swirling.
January 2005: After four and a half years of marriage, Brad and Jennifer announce in a joint statement that they have decided to split after ‘much thoughtful consideration’.
They add: ‘We happily remain committed and caring friends with great love and admiration for one another.’
March 2005: Jennifer files for divorce from Brad and cites ‘irreconcilable differences’, as speculation surrounding his romance with Angelina continues to grow.
April 2005: Although they are yet to publicly address romance rumours, Brad and Angelina’s relationship is confirmed after they are photographed on holiday in Kenya with her son Maddox.
May 2005: While admitting that they ‘got on great’, Angelina denies she had a relationship with Brad during filming, telling Marie Claire: ‘To be intimate with a married man, when my own father cheated on my mother, is not something I could forgive. I could not, could not look at myself in the morning if I did that.’
No longer hiding their romance: The pair’s relationship was confirmed in April 2005, two months before Mr. & Mrs. Smith hit cinemas
‘Domestic Bliss’: Brad and Angelina took part in a 2005 photo shoot for W magazine which depicted them as a couple with 𝘤𝘩𝘪𝘭𝘥ren, and Jennifer was allegedly ‘heartbroken’ after seeing the images
June 2005: Mr. and Mrs. Smith hits cinemas.
July 2005: Brad and Angelina take part in a photo shoot for W magazine which is entitled Domestic Bliss and depicts them as a couple with 𝘤𝘩𝘪𝘭𝘥ren. It’s claimed Jennifer is ‘heartbroken’ after seeing the images, which were taken the previous March.
Later that month Angelina adopts her daughter Zahara, her second 𝘤𝘩𝘪𝘭𝘥, from Ethiopia.
September 2005: During an interview with Vanity Fair, Jennifer slams Brad for having a ‘sensitivity chip missing’ after brainstorming the W magazine shoot.
She adds of the photos of him and Angelina in Kenya: ‘I can’t say it was one of the highlights of my year. Who would deal with that and say, “Isn’t that sweet! That looks like fun?” But s**t happens. You joke and say, “What doesn’t 𝓀𝒾𝓁𝓁 you makes you stronger.”‘
October 2005: Brad and Jennifer’s divorce is finalised.
Daddy duty: Brad applied to adopt Maddox and Zahara in January 2006 (they are shown here in November of that year)
Growing family: Brad and Angelina welcomed daughter Shiloh together in May 2006. They are seen with Shiloh, Zahara and Maddox in September 2007
January 2006: Brad and Angelina announce that they are expecting their first 𝘤𝘩𝘪𝘭𝘥 together, and he files paperwork to formally adopt Maddox and Zahara.
May 2006: Angelina gives 𝐛𝐢𝐫𝐭𝐡 to the couple’s first biological 𝘤𝘩𝘪𝘭𝘥 Shiloh Nouvel Jolie-Pitt in Swakopmund, Namibia. She and Brad couple sell the first pictures of their 𝑏𝑎𝑏𝑦 to People and Hello! magazines, and donate all of the proceeds (which totalled over $7million) to charity.
December 2006: Discussing working on Mr. & Mrs. Smith with Brad, Angelina tells People: ‘I think a few months in I realised, “God, I can’t wait to get to work.” … Anything we had to do with each other, we just found a lot of joy in it together and a lot of real teamwork. We just became kind of a pair.’
She adds: ‘It took until, really, the end of the shoot for us, I think, to realise that it might mean something more than we’d earlier allowed ourselves to believe. And both knowing that the reality of that was a big thing, something that was going to take a lot of serious consideration.’
Two years later Jennifer Aniston says it was ‘uncool’ of Angelina to make those comments.
March 2007: Angelina adopts three-year-old Pax Thien from Vietnam. Brad adopts him the following February.
Party of eight: Angelina confirmed at the Cannes Film Festival in May 2008 (pictured) that she was expecting twins with Brad
Proud parents: The stars welcomed Knox and Vivienne two months later in July 2008
May 2008: Angelina confirms at the Cannes Film Festival that she is expecting twins with Brad, after her Kung Fu Panda co-star Jack Black accidentally lets the news slip during a joint interview with Today.
July 2008: The couple welcome son Knox Leon and daughter Vivienne Marcheline in Nice, France. They receive an alleged $14million for jointly selling the first photos of the twins to People and Hello!, and once again donate the money to charity.
October 2008: Angelina tells the New York Times that she and Brad ‘fell in love’ while working on Mr. & Mrs. Smith. Up until this point they had insisted their relationship only began after his split from Jennifer Aniston.
December 2008: Brad echoes the same sentiment in an interview with Rolling Stone, saying that Mr. & Mrs. Smith is his favourite Angelina Jolie film ‘because you know… six kids. Because I fell in love.’
September 2011: Brad tells Parade magazine of his marriage to Jennifer: ‘I wasn’t living an interesting life myself. I think that my marriage had something to do with it. Trying to pretend the marriage was something that it wasn’t.’
He says that he is finally ‘a satisfied man’ with Angelina, adding: ‘One of the greatest, smartest things I ever did was give my kids Angie as their mom. She’s such a great mom. Oh, man, I’m so happy to have her. With a partner like Angie, I know that when I’m working, the kids are happy, safe, and prospering. And when Angie’s working, she knows she has the same.’
Charitable stars: Brad and Angelina shared the first photos of the twins (L) for an alleged $14million and donated the money to charity, as they had also done after welcoming Shiloh (R)
No surprises there: In 2008, the pair (pictured in 2009) finally confirmed that they ‘fell in love’ on set of Mr. and Mrs. Smith
Crazy about each other: In 2011, Brad said he is finally ‘a satisfied man’ with Angelina. They are pictured that year at the Cannes Film Festival
December 2011/January 2012: Brad and Angelina reveal in separate interviews that their 𝘤𝘩𝘪𝘭𝘥ren are encouraging them to marry.
While they had planned to wait until gay marriage was legal before tying the knot, they admit that there is a lot of pressure from their 𝘤𝘩𝘪𝘭𝘥ren.
Angelina says: ‘The kids asked me the other day, and I asked them if it was just because they wanted to have a big cake. They see movies that have the people getting married … you know, the happily ever after. Shrek and Fiona are married. … We’ve explained to them that our commitment when we decided to start a family was the greatest commitment you could possibly have. Once you have six 𝘤𝘩𝘪𝘭𝘥ren … you’re committed.’
And Brad says: ‘Marriage seems to mean more and more to our kids. We made this declaration some time ago that we weren’t going to do it ’til everyone can. But I don’t think we’ll be able to hold out.’
April 2012: The couple reveal their engagement. Brad’s spokesperson says: ‘Yes, it’s confirmed. It is a promise for the future and their kids are very happy. There’s no date set at this time.’
Giving them a push: The couple, seen in February 2012, said earlier that year that their 𝘤𝘩𝘪𝘭𝘥ren were piling on the pressure to convince them to marry
Making it official: The stars, who had planned to wait until gay marriage was legal before marrying, confirmed their engagement in April 2012. They are seen here the previous month
February 2013: Angelina undergoes a secret double mastectomy after discovering she was at a high risk of developing breast and ovarian cancers due to a defective BRCA-1 gene.
May 2013: The star bravely talks about her surgery in an op-ed for the New York Times, and praises Brad for his support.
She writes: ‘I am fortunate to have a partner, Brad Pitt, who is so loving and supportive. So to anyone who has a wife or girlfriend going through this, know that you are a very important part of the transition.
‘Brad was at the Pink Lotus Breast Center, where I was treated, for every minute of the surgeries. We managed to find moments to laugh together. We knew this was the right thing to do for our family and that it would bring us closer. And it has.’
The following month, he says that Angelina ‘has always been the brave, bold individual that I fell for – and 𝓈ℯ𝓍y as ever.’
By her side: Brad is pictured with Angelina in June 2013, a month after she bravely penned an op-ed about undergoing a double mastectomy
So in love: Brad and Angelina put on an adorable display of affection at the 2014 Oscars
Our family: Pax, Brad, Zahara, Knox, Shiloh and Maddox all supported Angelina at the premiere of Maleficent in May 2014
July 2014: It is announced that Brad and Angelina will be working on a movie together for the first time since Mr. & Mrs. Smith.
The couple reveal they are co-starring in By The Sea, which Angelina also wrote and is directing, and depicts a married couple whose relationship is on the rocks.
August 2014: Brad and Angelina tie the knot in a secret ceremony at their French estate Chateau Miraval, with the Salt star wearing a dress that her 𝘤𝘩𝘪𝘭𝘥ren helped to design and celebrating with a cake made by son Pax.
After a short family honeymoon in Nice, the newlyweds arrive in Malta to start filming By The Sea.
November 2014: The couple are photographed in what appears to be a heated exchange on their hotel balcony during a trip to Sydney, Australia.
Tying the knot: Brad and Angelina married in a secret ceremony at Chateau Miraval in France in August 2014
First signs of trouble in paradise?: The couple were photographed in what appeared to be a heated exchange on their hotel balcony during a trip to Sydney, Australia in November 2014
March 2015: In a second op-ed for the New York Times, Angelina reveals she has had her ovaries and fallopian tubes removed.
She writes: ‘I told myself to stay calm, to be strong, and that I had no reason to think I wouldn’t live to see my 𝘤𝘩𝘪𝘭𝘥ren grow up and to meet my grand𝘤𝘩𝘪𝘭𝘥ren. I called my husband in France, who was on a plane within hours.
‘The beautiful thing about such moments in life is that there is so much clarity. You know what you live for and what matters. It is polarising, and it is peaceful … I know my 𝘤𝘩𝘪𝘭𝘥ren will never have to say, “Mom died of ovarian cancer.”‘
November 2015: By The Sea is released to negative reviews, and fails to make up its budget at the box office.
That same month, Angelina tells the Daily Mirror: ‘The film says, “Whatever you go through, weather the storm and stick together.” Brad and I have fights and problems like any other couple.
‘We have days when we drive each other absolutely mad and want space. So it was kind of a message to each other that we are going to weather whatever comes and stick together.’
What a difference 10 months make: The pair’s last red carpet appearance together was at AFI Fest to promote By The Sea in November
Did life imitate art?: The movie, which was written and directed by Angelina, depicted a married couple whose relationship is on the rocks
‘Brad and I have fights and problems like any other couple’: The actress said the film was ‘kind of a message to each other that we are going to weather whatever comes and stick together’
July 2016: Brad and Angelina pictured seen together for the last time before their divorce announcement.
They are spotted taking Knox and Vivienne to brunch to celebrate their eighth 𝐛𝐢𝐫𝐭𝐡day, before doing some shopping at a local pharmacy.
September 2016: Angelina files for divorce from Brad, requesting sole physical custody of their six 𝘤𝘩𝘪𝘭𝘥ren with visitation rights for Brad.
He tells DailyMail.com in a statement: ‘I am very saddened by this, but what matters most now is the well-being of our kids. I kindly ask the press to give them the space they deserve during this challenging time.’
Robert Offer, an attorney for Angelina, says in a statement that she filed for divorce ‘for the health of the family’, while her manager Geyer Kosinski adds that ‘Angelina will always do what’s in the best interest to protect her 𝘤𝘩𝘪𝘭𝘥ren.’
Final photo: Brad and Angelina were seen together for the last time before their divorce announcement in July, when they took Knox and Vivienne out to celebrate their eighth 𝐛𝐢𝐫𝐭𝐡day
Ugly split? Angelina is requesting sole physical custody of their six 𝘤𝘩𝘪𝘭𝘥ren in her divorce papers, with visitation right for Brad. They are shown here in 2014 with Maddox and Zahara
Soυrce: dailymail
