Tough love: BRAD'S SECRET STRUGGLE

Despite his Hollywood success, the A -list actor is still influenced by his conservative upbringing

In the years following his divorce, Brad Pitt has gone through something of a transformation.

Gone is the chiselled, blond- tipped, blue-eyed box-office hero look he had honed ever since bursting onto screens in Thelma & Louise, and in its place is a mix of New Age hippie with a hint of midlife crisis.

Now Brad prefers indie films to blockbusters – or sitting behind the camera as a producer – and instead of swanky Hollywood soirées, he fills his days dabbling in woodwork, sculpture and art.

Recently, he has also switched out his usual tuxedo or neutral palette suits in favour of quirky, colourful outfits, including skirts.

He is the epitome of an A-list Hollywood 50-something male, free from the shackles of conformity after having made a household name for himself and putting $517 million in the bank.

But while Brad presents as a free spirit, for most of his life, he has been anything but.

“The Brad we see now has come a very long way since his beginnings,” reveals a source close to his family in the rural town of Springfield, Missouri. “He grew up in an extremely conservative household, attending Southern Baptist church every Sunday. His entire family life centred around God.”

To this day, his parents, Jane and Bill – now wealthy land developers in their eighties – devoutly attend their local chapel, and spend most of their time with Brad’s sister Julie Neal, brother Doug Pitt and their families.