Brad Pitt opens up about going sober after split from Angelina Jolie

‘I removed my drinking privileges’

(Rex Features)

Brad Pitt has opened up about going sober following his highly-publicised divorce from Angelina Jolie.

In September 2016, it was announced that Jolie had filed for divorce from Pitt, having been married to the actor since 2014 and romantically involved since 2006. The couple have six children together.

Following the announcement of the celebrity couple’s split, it was reported that they had recently argued about the Once Upon a Time in Hollywood star’s drinking habits while aboard a private plane, rumours which neither party publicly acknowledged.

In a new interview with The New York Times, Pitt explained his reasoning behind his decision to stop drinking at that time in his life.

“I had taken things as far as I could take it, so I removed my drinking privileges,” the actor stated.

The 55-year-old took further action by attending Alcoholics Anonymous meetings for a year and a half after the breakdown of his marriage.

Pitt expressed his admiration for the men with whom he attended the meetings and their willingness to speak openly about their experiences.

“You had all these men sitting around being open and honest in a way I have never heard,” the actor remarked.

“It was this safe space where there was little judgment, and therefore little judgment of yourself.”

Pitt added that he found it “freeing” to reveal the “ugly sides” of himself to a group of strangers, all of whom he could trust to not speak to the media about his attendance at the meetings.

In January 2017, it was reported that Pitt and Jolie had reached an agreement to settle their divorce in private.

A statement released to The Associated Press outlined that the couple had “signed agreements to preserve the privacy rights of their children and family by keeping all court documents confidential and engaging a private judge to make any necessary legal decisions and to facilitate the expeditious resolution of any remaining issues”.

Pitt recently made an appearance at Venice Film Festival, gracing the red carpet for the premiere of his new space epic Ad Astra.