Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie: Relationship timeline from Mr & Mrs Smith to divorce
As the former Hollywood power couple's divorce rumbles on, we look back at their shared history
They were once Hollywood's greatest power couple, but now they're going through a high-profile split, Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie are continuing to battle out their divorce seven years after their romance ended.
From meeting in controversial circumstances to becoming parents of six, before splitting and getting into a long-running spat over a shared winery, there are countless headlines in Brangelina's story.
Read more: Angelina Jolie accuses Brad Pitt of 'looting' vineyard (Independent, 2 min read)
Look back over the key moments in their history with our timeline of their relationship.
Meeting on Mr and Mrs Smith: 2003 - 2004
In the Nineties and early Noughties, Brad Pitt was already in one of Hollywood's most famous marriages: to Friends star Jennifer Aniston.
So when rumours began swirling that Pitt had fallen for his Mr and Mrs Smith co-star Angelina Jolie, Aniston fans were outraged on her behalf.
Jolie had recently split from former husband Billy Bob Thornton and although she and Pitt denied romance rumours at the time, they later admitted they had first fallen in love on set.
Brad Pitt splits from Jennifer Aniston: January - March 2005
In January of the following year, Pitt and Aniston split after five years of marriage, with Aniston filing for divorce in March and citing irreconcilable differences.
Their joint statement read: "We would like to announce that after seven years together we have decided to formally separate. For those who follow these sorts of things, we would like to explain that our separation is not the result of any of the speculation reported by the tabloid media. This decision is the result of much thoughtful consideration."
The divorce was finalised in October that year.
Brangelina are officially together: Summer 2005
Brangelina were spotted on holiday together in Kenya and a few months later, Pitt went with Jolie to Ethiopia where she was adopting her second child, Zahara.
Jolie had adopted son Maddox from Cambodia in 2002.
However, the beginnings of Brangelina's relationship started to look a little murky when W magazine published a photoshoot spread of them together entitled "Domestic Bliss" – with the photos having been taken in March.
Brad and Angelina welcome Shiloh: January - May 2006
Things moved fast for the A-list couple. In January 2006, they confirmed that they were expecting their first child together.
In the same month, they took steps towards cementing their family by legally changing Maddox and Zahara's surnames to Jolie-Pitt.
Daughter Shiloh was born in Namibia in May.
However, in September that year Pitt put to bed any rumours of them marrying soon, as he told Esquire: "Angie and I will consider tying the knot when everyone else in the country who wants to be married is legally able."
Adding to the family: January - March 2007
The Jolie-Pitts became an even stronger unit in March 2007 when Jolie adopted second son Pax in Vietnam, who later took the same surname as his siblings in the US.
In an awkward admission in January's Vogue, Jolie told how the pair had fallen in love while working together on Mr and Mrs Smith.
She said: "It took until, really, the end of the shoot for us, I think, to realise that it might mean something more than we’d earlier allowed ourselves to believe. And both knowing that the reality of that was a big thing, something that was going to take a lot of serious consideration."
Chateau Miraval and the twins: May - July 2008
In what would become a highly significant moment for their wrangle over the winery, Brangelina rented Chateau Miraval in France in May 2008.
Jolie gave birth to their twins, Knox and Vivienne, in July in Nice, making them parents of six.
The couple bought Chateau Miraval in 2012 and set up their Miraval Wines business which has been a key point of contention in their divorce.
They're engaged: April 2012
The couple finally confirmed that they were engaged, although it would be another couple of years until the wedding.
Angelina Jolie talks about double mastectomy: May 2013
Jolie opened up on her elective double mastectomy in a New York Times article where she explained that she had made the decision after finding out she was a carrier of the BRCA1 gene.
She praised Pitt for being a "loving and supportive partner" and added: "We knew this was the right thing to do for our family and that it would bring us closer. And it has."
In 2015, she revealed that she had also had her ovaries removed over early warning signs of cancer and again spoke about Pitt's support.
Brangelina are married: August 2014
Brangelina finally got married, although there was none of the extravagance of a Hollywood wedding as they held the ceremony at Chateau Miraval with just 20 guests — which included their six children.
Jolie wore a Versace gown made specially for her that incorporated drawings by all of her children, who took part in the ceremony by walking her down the aisle and acting as flower girls and ring bearers.
Later that month, during their honeymoon in Malta the couple worked together for the first time since Mr and Mrs Smith, this time on By the Sea which was written by Jolie.
Filing for divorce: September 2016
The honeymoon period was short-lived, as just two years on from their wedding Jolie filed for divorce citing irreconcilable differences and requesting custody of all six children.
The last few years have featured various legal battles over the custody split, with the children continuing to spend the majority of their time with Jolie.
Read more: Angelina Jolie accuses Brad Pitt of physical and emotional abuse on private jet flight (Evening Standard, 4 min read)
She made allegations of domestic abuse against Pitt and claimed that he had been abusive to Maddox on a flight just days before she filed for divorce, although no charges were brought against him.
Pitt has since attended Alcoholics Anonymous but insists his behaviour never went further than shouting.
Angelina Jolie speaks out: September 2021
An interview with The Guardian in September 2021 saw Jolie make some rare comments about the end of her marriage.
While explaining that she couldn't say too much as the divorce was ongoing, she said: "I’m not the kind of person who makes decisions like the decisions I had to make lightly. It took a lot for me to be in a position where I felt I had to separate from the father of my children."
Later in the interview, when asked what the last five years since filing for divorce had taken out of her, she admitted: "I mean, in some ways it’s been the last decade. There’s a lot I can’t say."
Chateau Miraval legal battle: October 2021 - Present
Although Jolie first filed for divorce seven years ago, the former couple are still locked in a legal battle that centres on the Chateau Miraval winery.
There has been a lot of back and forth over the past couple of years with Jolie apparently selling her shares in the business, Pitt suing her over it, and more recently, Pitt being accused of using millions from the winery on home improvements and stripping its assets.
However, in the biggest step towards resolving the winery disagreement so far, in July 2023 the former couple agreed to mediation as a way of resolving the dispute rather than it going back to court.
Pitt has apparently appointed an administrator for the winery, while Jolie has said she is willing to take part in a settlement conference - which could mean the divorce could finally be completed.
Watch: Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt divorce continues
