Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitts relationship through the years

Just when we thought Johnny Depp’s messy divorce from Amber Heard was going to be the celebrity scandal of the year, Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie just announced they’re splitting after 12 years together. It must have felt like Christmas for the TMZ team when the most prominent relationship in Hollywood (they even got the famous nickname 'Brangelina') crumbled to the ground. Why? According to Jolie: bad parenting and drug abuse. She claims the decision is for the best, and she did it for 'the health of the family’. Pitt, on the other hand, stated that he is deeply saddened by the circumstances but he is only concerned on the well-being of their six children: Maddox, Zahara, Shiloh, Pax, Knox and Vivienne.

'Bradgelina' family

Jolie and Pitt met in 2004, when they co-starred in the action comedy film 'Mr. and Mrs. Smith'. At that time, Pitt was married to actress Jennifer Aniston, but they divorced in January 2005, soon after Jolie and Pitt’s relationship became too obvious to the public eye. Soon after, the media hype surrounding the couple went out of control. There was no gossip magazine without their picture in the front page- wait, they still are on the cover of thousands of gossip magazines, especially after the news. No wonder the couple is worth $555 million. With their good looks, impressive careers, and selfless charity work around the world, they quickly became the most popular-and scrutinized- couple in Hollywood.

Jolie and Pitt’s relationship through the years has been well documented by media and fans alike; sadly, it seemed to be one of the most stable relationships in Hollywood. And it was. Together, Brad and Angelina adopted three children: Zarah from Ethiopia, Maddox from Kenya, and Pax, from Vietnam. In 2006, Shiloh Jolie-Pitt was born. Two years later, Jolie gave birth to twins Knox and Vivienne. The Brangelina family was growing healthy and happy, as captured in photographs taken by paparazzi and fans wherever they went.

Angelina Jolie, Brad Pitt and their kinds by Annie Leibovitz

In 2013, Jolie she decided to go on a preventive double mastectomy, after her doctors told her she had a very high chance to develop breast and ovarian cancer. Her ovaries and fallopian tubes were also removed in order to reduce risk. Pitt supported her decision and stood by her at all times.

The pair worked together in the 2015 film 'By the Sea’ a movie about a troubled marriage (isn’t it ironic?) directed by Jolie and starring both of them. In an interview by NBC in 2015, Jolie spoke about the making of the film, and how the marriage depicted in the movie was fictitious, not a reflection of theirs in any way. She said she could not have directed the film if she felt her marriage had those problems.

Angelina Jolie at 'By the sea'

Close friends and family of the couple have stated that as sad as this news can be, this decision is best for them and their children. She wants to dedicate herself to her children and charity work, while he wants to continue working as an actor and producer. Jolie is filing for custody of their 6 children. What will happen next, only time will tell. No matter how you look at it, it’s sad to see a beautiful family break apart.