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Why did Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt split? From sensational affair allegations to star's health and parenting differences

The actress filed for divorce last year but says they will "always be a family"

Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitts split after 12 years together has left the showbiz world in shock.

According to reports, the 41-year-old actress, who cited irreconcilable differences, decided to end their marriage because she was "extremely upset" with the way the Moneyball star has been parenting the kids and so decided to seek joint legal custody, but not joint physical custody.

"This decision was made for the health of the family," attorney Robert Offer also said in a statement.

But according to a series of reports, their split could have been brewing for years.

Despite everything, Angelina has said they they will "always be a family".

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Angelina says they'll always be a family(Image: Getty Images North America)

Speaking to BBC World News , she said: "I dont want to say very much about that, except to say it was a very difficult time and we are a family and we will always be a family, and we will get through this time and hopefully be a stronger family for it...

"Many, many people find themselves in this situation. My whole family, weve all being through a difficult time. My focus is my children, our children... and my focus is finding this way through.

"We are and forever will be a family. I am coping with finding a way through to make sure that this somehow makes us stronger and closer."

But why did they split?

Disagreements in parenting styles

[Vivienne Jolie-Pitt, Angelina Jolie, Shiloh Jolie-Pitt, Maddox Jolie-Pitt, Knox Jolie-Pitt, Zahara Jolie-Pitt, Brad Pitt June]

Brad, Angelina and their brood(Image: Fameflynet)

Sources say the divorce is believed to have been down to Angelina being upset with Brad's parenting style and how he is raising the kids.

The pair have been quite vocal about their parenting styles in the past, with Brad saying it was his wife who works the hardest.

"When Angie has a day off, the first thing she does is get up and take the kids out. This is the most important 'to do' of the day," he told E! News.

"No matter how tired she might be, she plans outings for each and all. She has an incredible knack for inventing crazy experiences for them, something new, something fresh. I may be the bigger goof of the pair, but she invents the stage."

[Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie]

Angelina reportedly takes a more laidback approach to parenting(Image: REX)

He also said he was heavily influenced by his strict childhood.

I am [a disciplinarian] with the boys. Girls do no wrong so I dont have to be, the star, who was raised in a Southern Baptist household, explained.

I feel like my job is to show them around, help them find what they want to do with their life, put as many things in front of them, and pull them back when they get out of line, so they know who they are.

Angelinas renewed focus on her health

According to another source, the divorce had been a long-time coming because of the star's renewed focus on her health.

"When Angelina underwent her mastectomy in 2013, her health and life in general became a priority for her," they told Daily Mail.

"Her views on life changed. Suddenly she saw herself walking in her late mothers shoes - and she was no longer that wild, fun loving woman she used to be, she was taking things a lot more seriously."

They added: "Angelina wasnt really interested in doing any project that took her away from the children and home, but Brad was still wanting the wanderlust, adventure-filled life that first attracted him to her."

While it was also alleged Brad was worried about Angelina's slight frame, with a source previously claiming to the Inquisitr: "Brad fears an activity as innocuous as roughhousing with the kids could lead to a fracture."

Strains of working together on By The Sea

Angelina and Brad joined forces to make By The Sea which was filmed on location in Malta, partly during their honeymoon.

The actress made no secret of the fact it took a toll on their relationship, previously sharing: "It was an emotionally charged set. Even though the characters are very different from us, when you act you still express real emotion.

Its impossible to bring your work home with you when you have to snap out of it for your children, she added. It wasnt easy for either of us, but when we walked away, we were closer than we had been.

Brad's 'chemistry' with co-star Marion Cotillard

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Brad and Marion in 2016 film Allied(Image: Paramount Pictures)

Within minutes of the news breaking, US gossip websites were sensationally speculating that Brad's relationship with his Allied co-star Marion could have put strain on their two-year marriage.

According to the New York Post's Page Six, Angelina hired a private investigator to snoop on the actor while he was on set in London filming the movie Allied.

An unnamed source told the publication: "He's in the throes of some insane midlife crisis, and Angie is fed up."

Pitt, 52, has allegedly been close with French actress Marion, 40, for months while they were shooting the World War II drama.

[Stills-from-film-Allied]

A source insists the split has nothing to do with a third party(Image: Paramount Pictures)

A source told Life & Style magazine some weeks back: "[Angelina] feels that if they really pour their hearts out to each other over sunset walks through the [estates] vineyards, she can keep [Brad] by her side and reignite their romance.

The source continued: Her intense jealousy over [Brad Pitts] Allied co-stars Marion Cotillard and Lizzy Caplan, and what he sees as her stubborn refusal to take care of herself after so many health scares are among the couples marriage troubles."

However, sources commenting on the couple's decision to split are insisting there is no "third person" involved and that the move was in relation to disagreements over parenting.

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