When the end came, it was vicious and vituperative. Six days before the hotly disputed events aboard Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie’s private plane – when the allegedly inebriated actor is said to have verbally abused his 15-year-old son Maddox – Angelina said she wanted to talk in the airy living room of their sprawling mansion in the Los Feliz hills, with its panoramic views of Hollywood far below.
With their marriage in turmoil, the 41-year-old actress had, she said, worked out a plan. She would take their six children to live in Britain – increasingly the base for her charitable and political work as a United Nations Special Envoy for Refugees – while Brad would remain in Los Angeles to work on his film career.
To the outside world they would remain a happily married couple, she added. But each would be free to pursue whatever liaisons took their fancy. Furthermore, Brad would be able to see the children whenever he wanted to.