Already have an account?
Get back to the

Angelina Jolie Reveals Bell’s Palsy Diagnosis, Life After Divorce Has Been ‘the Hardest Time’

Angelina Jolie’s slowly picking up the pieces and rebuilding. The actress spoke candidly about her divorce from Brad Pitt in a new interview with Vanity Fair and revealed she’s developed hypertension and Bell’s palsy. 

Related: Relive Brangelina's Best Red Carpet Moments

“I can’t tell if it’s menopause or if it’s just been the year I’ve had,” she shared with the magazine, adding that she’s also noticed more gray hairs and dryer skin. “Sometimes women in families put themselves last until it manifests itself in their own health.”

Angelina Jolie on the cover of Vanity Fair
Angelina Jolie on the cover of Vanity Fair Mert Alas & Marcus Piggott exclusively for Vanity Fair

As previously reported, Jolie and Pitt shocked fans by announcing their split in September 2016. The exes were involved in an incident aboard a private flight that involved their eldest son, Maddox, 15, which ultimately led to their decision to split. (As previously reported, the FBI launched an investigation into child abuse allegations against Pitt, but ultimately cleared him of any wrongdoing.)

“I actually feel like more of a woman because I’m being smart about my choices, and I’m putting my family first, and I’m in charge of my life and my health. I think that’s what makes a woman complete,” Jolie told VF. “I’ve been trying for nine months to be really good at just being a homemaker and picking up dog poop and cleaning dishes and reading bedtime stories. And I’m getting better at all three.”

Related: Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie: A Timeline of Their Relationship

Angelina Jolie
Angelina Jolie Mert Alas & Marcus Piggott exclusively for Vanity Fair

The actress and her kids — in addition to Maddox, she shares Pax, 13, Zahara, 12, Shiloh, 10, and 8-year-old twins Vivienne and Knox with Pitt — recently moved into a $25 million mansion in Los Angeles and the transition has been tough on her kids.

“It’s just been the hardest time, and we’re just kind of coming up for air. [This house] is a big jump forward for us, and we’re all trying to do our best to heal as our family,” she explained. “[Our lifestyle] was not in any way a negative. That was not the problem. That is and will remain one of the wonderful opportunities we are able to give our children … They’re six very strong-minded, thoughtful, worldly individuals. I’m very proud of them. … We’re all just healing from the events that led to the [divorce] filing … They’re not healing from the divorce. They’re healing … from things in life.”

Related: Hollywood’s Ugliest Divorces

Jolie didn’t expand on the events that led to their split, but did mention that things “got bad.”

“I don’t want to use that word,” she later clarified. “Things became ‘difficult.'”

In this article

Got a Tip form close button
Got a tip for US?
We're All Ears for Celebrity Buzz!