Angelina Jolie files for divorce from Brad Pitt

Actress Angelina Jolie has filed for a dissolution of marriage from her husband Brad Pitt, Jolie’s lawyer said in a statement on Tuesday.

US actress Angelina Jolie has filed for divorce from her husband Brad Pitt after two years of marriage and 12 years together. Carl Court / AFP
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Angelina Jolie has filed for divorce from Brad Pitt and is seeking custody of their six children spelling the end for “Brangelina,” one of Hollywood’s highest-profile celebrity couples.

According to the entertainment news site, TMZ, the 41-year-old Jolie filed legal documents on Monday citing irreconcilable differences with Pitt, 52, listing their date of separation as September 15.

Jolie’s attorney Robert Offer confirmed the filing in a statement to Reuters on Tuesday. “This decision was made for the health of the family. She will not be commenting, and asks that the family be given its privacy at this time,” he said.

Two of the world’s biggest stars, they formed a Hollywood power couple so famous they were known simply by their combined first names.

The A-listers wed in France in August two years ago, but have been together since 2004 and have six children together, three of whom are adopted.

Jolie is seeking physical custody of the children, with visiting rights for Pitt, according to TMZ, which said she was not seeking spousal support.

Pitt came into the public eye 25 years ago with a much-talked-about debut in the hit movie Thelma and Louise - and went on to become a household name in Hollywood.

A two-time Oscar nominee for his acting, Pitt took home a golden statuette as producer for best picture 12 Years A Slave.

Jolie catapulted to stardom with her role in 1999's Girl, Interrupted, taking home an Academy Award for best supporting actress for her fierce portrayal of a rebellious woman in a mental institution.

Jolie is now better known for her humanitarian work, having served for several years as a goodwill ambassador for the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees.

She is also one of the world’s most visible symbols in the battle against cancer, having undergone a double mastectomy and removal of her ovaries and fallopian tubes to prevent an aggressive form of the disease that killed her mother, grandmother and aunt.

Jolie had been married twice before, to actors Jonny Lee Miller and Billy Bob Thornton.

Pitt was previously married to actress Jennifer Aniston.

* AFP