After her shock decision to file for divorce from Brad Pitt and seek sole physical custody of their children, Angelina Jolie’s attorney said on Tuesday that she is ending their two-year marriage ‘for the health of the family’.
And while they appeared to be one of the happiest couples in Hollywood during their 12 years together, it seems the actors clashed when it came to the care of their six children.
Brad, 52, and Angelina, 41, share Maddox, 15, Pax, 12, Zahara, 11, Shiloh, 10, and twins Vivienne and Knox, eight.
Disagreements over their differing parenting styles may have been a bubbling undercurrent throughout their relationship.
A source revealed to DailyMail.com that while working on her latest directorial effort First They Killed My Father in Cambodia, Angelina let her kids run wild.
‘The children can all be a nightmare apart from Maddox. He’s really, really sweet and nice,’ the insider said. ‘Angie believes everything the children tell her. They can do no wrong in her eyes, everything they say becomes the gospel truth.
‘They’re very hot and cold with all the staff. They’re very physical and boisterous and hard to handle – especially because there’s six of them. The eleven year old [Zahara], is the one who instigates it all.
‘One of the team threw a towel which accidentally hit Vivienne and caused her to trip up. Then Zahara was instructing her what to tell Angie – to say she was eating a biscuit at the time and nearly choked because of it.’
The insider alleged that one of the nannies who is believed to have been helping to take care of the large brood in Cambodia was let go because Angelina thought she had her sights set on Brad.
‘The nannies had it hard,’ the source claimed. ‘One got fired – the kids told Angie she was crushing on Brad, and that was the end of it.’
The insider said that the children ‘all missed Brad lots’ while he was in Europe, but added that ‘they were all really good at accepting he was away and they knew his job means he has to fly a lot’.
The source also alleged that Angelina was eating very little while working on the movie and enjoying wine to unwind.
‘Someone on staff usually has to order it – she’ll think nothing of spending a couple of hundred dollars on a bottle of wine for herself,’ they said.
‘But she doesn’t eat a lot. Only fruit – one plate a day. She has mixed fruit: mango, banana, pineapple. Everybody knows she needs to eat more than that. Most of the crew think Brad is worried about her.’
It comes as People reports that they have often argued over ‘disciplining’ their brood, with a source claiming that Brad was more focused on ‘having rules’.
‘Brad has always been stricter,’ the insider claimed. ‘He has wanted the kids to have more structure. Brad will get frustrated sometimes and yell at the kids.
‘Angelina always had a more relaxed attitude when it came to the kids. She definitely never yells.’
The source also alleged that their arguments would often lead Brad to flee to France, where they married in August 2014.
An insider told TMZ that Angelina made the decision to file divorce papers because of the way ‘Brad was parenting the children’, adding that she ‘was extremely upset with his methods’.
The same source also claimed that the Maleficent star grew ‘fed up’ of Brad’s consumption of ‘weed and possibly alcohol’ as well as his ‘anger problem’.
Angelina’s attorney Robert Offer said in a statement on Tuesday that she has filed for the dissolution of the marriage ‘for the health of the family.’
He then added: ‘She will not be commenting, and asks that the family be given its privacy at this time.’
Angelina’s manager Geyer Kosinski also released a statement, saying: ‘Angelina will always do what’s in the best interest to protect her children.
‘She appreciates everyone’s understanding of their need for privacy at this time.’
Meanwhile in a statement to DailyMail.com, Brad said: ‘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.’
While they may have disagreed about their methods for looking after their children behind closed doors, in public the former couple have often gushed about each other’s parenting abilities.
In an interview with the Evening Standard in 2014, Angelina said: ‘Brad has always been such a wonderful and loving father. It’s such a beautiful and sexy quality in a man when he takes his responsibilities as a father very seriously.
‘I still get very emotional when I watch Brad play with the children — he is so naturally devoted and joyful around them.’
And Brad told Parade in 2011: ‘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.’
Source: dailymail.co.uk
