Jennifer Aniston is opening up for the first time about her split from estranged husband Justin Theroux.
“It’s pretty crazy,” the 49-year-old Friends alum told InStyle in their September cover story of the tabloid headlines written about her following the breakup. “The misconceptions are ‘Jen can’t keep a man,’ and ‘Jen refuses to have a baby because she’s selfish and committed to her career.’”
She continued: “Or that I’m sad and heartbroken. First, with all due respect, I’m not heartbroken. And second, those are reckless assumptions. No one knows what’s going on behind closed doors. No one considers how sensitive that might be for my partner and me. They don’t know what I’ve been through medically or emotionally.”
As for motherhood, Aniston said that “there is pressure on women to be mothers,” noting, “if they are not, then they’re deemed damaged goods.” She added, “maybe my purpose on this planet isn’t to procreate. Maybe I have other things I’m supposed to do?”
The interview comes less than six months after the estranged couple confirmed to Us Weekly in February that they were calling it quits on their nearly two-and-a-half year marriage.
“In an effort to reduce any further speculation, we have decided to announce our separation. This decision was mutual and lovingly made at the end of last year,” the statement read at the time. “We are two best friends who have decided to part ways as a couple, but look forward to continuing our cherished friendship. Normally we would do this privately, but given that the gossip industry cannot resist an opportunity to speculate and invent, we wanted to convey the truth directly. Whatever else is printed about us that is not directly from us, is someone else’s fictional narrative. Above all, we are determined to maintain the deep respect and love that we have for one another.”
A source told Us in July that Aniston is dating again following their split and revealed that “it’s very hush-hush.”
