Angelina Jolie has revealed that she felt 'broken' after her split from Brad Pitt and has not dated anyone for nearly ten years. The 51-year-old actress, known for her role in Tomb Raider, endured an eight-year legal battle with Pitt over custody disputes and ownership of their shared French winery, Château Miraval.
Jolie admitted she neglected romance to focus on her children. 'To be candid, I haven't dated since I divorced a decade ago. So I kind of get in my head that that aspect of me is not centered in my life if I'm focusing on my children, my family,' she told Yahoo Entertainment.
Life Has Broken Me a Little Bit
Jolie is only now starting to think about herself again after a life wobble. 'I'm thinking I have to live again. Be free again. In a way that maybe life has broken me a little bit,' she said.
Her new film Couture, in which she plays a filmmaker diagnosed with breast cancer who finds romance with a cinematographer played by Louis Garrel, made her realise she could still date while being a good mother. 'It took me a second to kind of say, well, she can also love her daughter and be dedicated to her daughter and also need this as a woman and receive this as a woman,' Jolie continued.
Children Encouraging Her to Move On
Jolie shares six children with Pitt: Maddox, 24, Pax, 22, Zahara, 21, Shiloh, 20, and twins Vivienne and Knox, 17. The kids are encouraging her to focus more on herself. 'I think in some way they're bringing me back to my old self. My desire for them to have all of the strength and openness and softness and faith and ferocity is reminding me. I think they kind of want me now to not just be 'Mom',' she explained.
Jolie also admitted that her 'fighting spirit' has returned 'in large part thanks to my children, who are now older, and encouraging it.' She told Variety, 'My kids are almost all 18, so now they want to see me traveling the world. They know me more than anybody, and they still like me, which says a lot.'
