The Hollywood couple are spending time apart in the hope that they can save their relationship.
Following months of tension, Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt have decided to spend some time apart to take stock of their four-year relationship.
The former lovebirds’ decision to call time out on their roller-coaster romance comes as little surprise to those close to the pair, who reveal that Brad, 45, and Ange, who turns 34 on June 4, have spent nearly 200 days apart since twins Knox and Vivienne were born on July 13 last year. Much of this time away was not work related, but the result of blazing rows that ended with one of them walking out.
Now the troubled pair will live on opposite sides of the US — Brad in LA and Angelina in New York — and only intend to reunite for the sake of their six children. They came together for their daughter Shiloh’s third birthday last week, but insiders say it was not a happy occasion.
“The relationship is really strained, and Brad is saying that he wants some time out but feels trapped,” a friend of Brad’s tells Woman’s Day.
“They are both determined to split time with the children and for the children to be able to see them together. But they will spend a lot of time apart.”
The break may help Brad and Angelina resolve their issues or it could just as easily tear them apart for ever, says Anne Hollonds, Vice President of Relationships Australia.
“Some couples use a trial separation to reconnect and rebuild their relationship,” she says. “They use the time to re-evaluate what they like about the relationship and how to improve it. Sadly, not all people use the time constructively — that can lead to long-term separation.”
