Their rekindled romance has delighted fans the world over, and Brad Pitt and Jennifer Aniston are now enjoying an “emotional walk down memory lane” as they celebrate the 20th anniversary of their original nuptials, sources tell New Idea exclusively.
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“The last 20 years have been a roller-coaster ride, that’s for sure,” says a close friend of the couple, who wed on July 29, 2000.
“At the end of the day, Brad and Jen are so happy they’re still in each other’s lives. They have so much love for one another.”
The couple began dating in 1998, after being set up by their matchmaking agents. For Jen, now 51, it was love at first sight, and she later admitted knowing that very night that Brad, now 56, was The One.
“We both [knew] on our first date. It was weird … That was a really easy evening,” Jen later recalled, adding that she couldn’t imagine being with “any other human being”.
While the pair never officially announced their engagement, Jen seemingly confirmed a proposal had happened when she was busted wearing a stunning diamond ring during a Sting concert in November 1999.
“Finding Jennifer is simply the best thing that has ever happened to me,” Brad gushed to US OK! magazine the following January. “She’s my angel, my life.”
That July, the smitten pair exchanged vows in a Malibu ceremony attended by 200 of their nearest and dearest.
Brad was quite the romantic husband, with the actor filling Jen’s trailer on the Friends set with 1500 roses one Valentine’s Day. He also guest-starred on the beloved sitcom.
After five years of supposed wedding bliss, the couple shocked fans when they revealed they were divorcing.
It soon emerged that Brad had fallen for his Mr & Mrs Smith co-star, Angelina Jolie, during filming.
Following the divorce, Jen confessed, “I love Brad. I will love him for the rest of my life”.
However, with Brangelina ploughing full steam ahead– after six kids, the superstar couple finally wed in 2014 – Jen eventually moved on too, marrying Justin Theroux.
But it was clear that Brad never left his place in her heart, as she and Justin split in 2017 after two years of marriage.
By then, Brad was once again a single man, having separated from Angelina in September 2016.
According to sources, Jen was a pillar of strength for Brad during this time, with the actress supporting Brad during the ugly custody battle, as well as his mission to sober up.
Soon enough, their friendship turned romantic once more, and Brad was a special guest at Jen’s 50th birthday party last year. Apart from a rare public display of affection at this year’s SAG Awards, they’re keeping their second chance at love under wraps.
“The passion is still there,” says a source. “The spark is alive and well.”
This story appeared in the latest copy of New Idea – on sale NOW!
