We'll Always Be A Family

Angelina Jolie – on a visit with her kids to Cambodia – opens up about life since her split from Brad Pitt .

- Nicola Whitfield

SHE’S no stranger to Cambodia: it’s where she started her epic journey as a mother, adopting her first child from an orphanage when she was in the country filming Tomb Raider all those years ago.

She’s been to the lush southeast Asian land so often since then she’s even been granted citizenship – so it wasn’t all that unusual to see Angelina Jolie back again, her squad of six kids in tow.

Except that this time it was a little different: it was Angie’s first official appearance since September when she and husband Brad Pitt announced they were splitting, and those of us who believed they were happily-ever-afters all fell apart.

Yes, she went skiing with the kids over New Year (YOU, 19 January) but that was a holiday – she said nothing publicly, sticking to the slopes and the shops and not engaging with anyone but the family and her entourage.

Her visit to Siem Reap, a resort town in the northwest of Cambodia, was another story. The 41-year-old star spoke out for the first time since the start of the drama – and it’s clear she’s been through a lot.

In an interview with the BBC, Angelina speaks at length about her latest project, a movie she directed called First They Killed My Father, about the Cambodian genocide. But the interviewer then asks her how she’s doing personally – and Angie becomes visibly emotional.

“It’s been a very difficult time,” she says, unable to meet the interviewer’s eyes. “But we’re a family and we will always be a family. We will get through this time and hopefully be a stronger family for it.

“Many, many people find themselves in this situation,” she adds. “My whole family – we’ve all been through a difficult time.”