Brad Pitt's 'pretend' marriage to Jennifer Aniston

Brad Pitt "pretended" his marriage to Jennifer Aniston was "something that it wasn't".

The Moneyball actor - who was married to former Friends star Jennifer from 2000 to 2005 - thinks his life before his relationship with Angelina Jolie started to feel "pathetic" because he spent a lot of time smoking marijuana and "hiding".

He said: "I spent the '90s trying to hide out, trying to duck the full celebrity cacophony. I started to get sick of myself sitting on a couch, holding a joint, hiding out. It started feeling pathetic. It became very clear to me that I was intent on trying to find a movie about an interesting life, but I wasn't living an interesting life myself.

"I think that my marriage [to Jennifer Aniston] had something to do with it. Trying to pretend the marriage was something that it wasn't."

However, the 47-year-old actor, now lives a much happier life with Angelina and their six children - Maddox, 10, Pax, seven, Zahara, six, Shiloh, five, and three-year-old twins Vivienne and Knox.

He said: "One of the greatest, smartest things I ever did was give my kids Angie as their mom. She is such a great mom. Oh man, I'm so happy to have her."

Brad also reveals he has found being a parent easy because he always trusts his instincts.

He added to Parade magazine: "I was surprised at how automatic it is, how much of it is instinctual. And now I have a great confidence and trust in those instincts. I mean, one sound at night and you're awake and up because they may need you. Or when they start to have a tantrum, you know to divert them from spinning out by helping them focus on something. It just goes on and on. I tell them, "You can make a mess, but you've got to clean it up.' "

- BANG! Showbiz