Brad Pitt and Jennifer Aniston announced their separation on 7 January 2005, ending a marriage that began with a lavish Malibu ceremony in July 2000. The couple had been together seven years in total. In a joint statement, they said the decision came after "much thoughtful consideration" and denied tabloid speculation as the cause.
Pitt, then 41, and Aniston, 35, wed after meeting in 1998. Their wedding, attended by roughly 200 guests, featured 50,000 flowers, four bands, a gospel choir, fireworks, and a reported price tag of one million dollars. No announcement was made about divorce proceedings.
Aniston had risen to global fame playing Rachel Green on the NBC sitcom "Friends," which ended its 10-year run in 2004. The role earned her both a Golden Globe and an Emmy. Forbes ranked her the world's most powerful celebrity in 2003, and she earned an estimated 35 million dollars in 2002. Several film projects were underway at the time of the split, following the commercial success of "Along Came Polly," which grossed 86 million dollars domestically.
Pitt's credits at the time included "Ocean's 12" and "Troy." Gossip outlets had linked him to Angelina Jolie, his co-star in "Mr and Mrs Smith," scheduled for release in June 2005.
Historical summary. TurkishPress restated this AFP wire report, first published in January 2005, in its own words.