Angelina Jolie's love runs deep. And she's got the life, the kids and her core-shaker of a man to prove it.
In a telling one-on-one interview with Parade magazine, normally media-shy Jolie dishes on what life is like for her and her brood, and gushes about how "strong and happy" the love she's found with Brad Pitt is.
Exactly. You know where you can stick those pesky split rumours.
During the interview Jolie pointedly dismisses the persistent rumour that she and Pitt are only together for the sake of the children.
"The children certainly tie us together," she tells the magazine, "but a relationship won't hold if it's only about the kids."
She goes on to explain how she and her man stay connected.
"You also must be really interested in each other and have a really, really wonderful, exciting time together. We do. Brad and I love being together. We enjoy it. We need it, and we always find that special time. We stay connected. We talk about it. It's very important."
'Mommy and Daddy in our pajamas...'
They also have a cardinal rule that they are never apart for more than three days, for the sake of their family. They keep the globe-trotting to a minimum.
"There's never a period when Brad and I are pulled apart" she says, "We are not separated for more than three days, ever. We stay really connected. We actually don't go out much. It's funny. We're very homebound. We're very much Mommy and Daddy in our pajamas."
'I used to cut myself'
The one-time Hollywood wild child also talks about her rebellious past, insisting that Pitt and the kids are fully clued in.
"Brad knows me completely, exactly as I am, every part of me. He loves me," Jolie says. "The kids love me. They know all my flaws and all my oddities. And they accept them. And so I can feel complete."
Of her well-documented tribulations, she says: "I used to cut myself or jump out of airplanes, trying to find something new to push up against because sometimes everything else felt too easy.
"I was searching for something deeper, something more. I tried everything. I always felt caged, closed in, like I was punching at things that weren't there. I always had too much energy for the room I was in."
Jolie then points to one of 13 tattoos (an inscription on her arm), and says: "The wild heart caged. I unlocked my cage years ago. I want my children to have that freedom. I want that for other people, too," she says.
But the Jolie of today is a far cry from the one we met a few years ago. The one who planted one on her brother's kisser at the Oscars and wore a vial of blood around her neck from ex husband Billy Bob Thornton.
Loved-up
In the interview Jolie also says she and Pitt, 45, are still deeply in love after five years of dating.
"I feel sad for someone who has never known love. Love elevates. You know, Brad would joke about me having this conversation about love. Love? It's such a funny word. Brad can find certain phrases of poetry for it. I'm terrible at it.
"But I know it means wanting the best for the people you love, putting their interests above your own, always. Love does that. Love is what you live for."
The Salt star also says she and Pitt do their best to keep the kids away from media scrutiny.
"We do everything we can to keep our kids away from it. We travel to places where the kids aren't aware of that kind of thing. We try to give them a full life where they don't have to come face to face with that world. With the paparazzi present, we're careful when we leave the house. Other than that...
"We don't stand in the checkout line at the grocery store looking at the magazines. Our friends don't tell us about it. And our kids don't know. I feel if we keep looking out for them, they'll be fine."
Stunning work, Jolie. Props to you and that lovely man of yours. Sorry Jen, but Mr & Mrs. Beautiful were just meant to be together. And that's exactly how we want them.
Jolie's new film, Salt, is released in New Zealand on August 19 and her full Parade interview is out on July 11.
Watch the trailer below:
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