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Angelina Jolie: Kids Are ‘Getting Better’ After Brad Pitt Split: It’s ‘a Very Painful Situation’

Angelina Jolie Vivienne Shiloh Knox Zahara
Angelina Jolie, Vivienne Jolie-Pitt, Shiloh Jolie-Pitt, Knox Leon Jolie-Pitt, and Zahara Jolie-Pitt attend "The Breadwinner" premiere during the 2017 Toronto International Film Festival at Winter Garden Theatre on September 10, 2017 in Toronto, Canada.

One step at a time. Angelina Jolie opened up about her split from Brad Pitt and how their kids are doing in the aftermath in an interview with the New York Times, which was published on Wednesday, September 13.

“None of it’s easy. It’s very, very difficult, a very painful situation, and I just want my family healthy,” Jolie, 42, said. “They’re getting better.”

Related: Angelina Jolie Brings All Six Kids to ‘First They Killed My Father’ Red Carpet Premiere: Photos

She added: “I never expect to be the one that everybody understands or likes. And that’s OK, because I know who I am, and the kids know who I am.”

Angelina Jolie Brad Pitt
Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt attend the Cinema for Peace Gala ceremony at the Konzerthaus Am Gendarmenmarkt during day five of the 62nd Berlin International Film Festival on February 13, 2012 in Berlin, Germany.

Jolie and Pitt, 52, announced in September 2016 that they were divorcing after two years of marriage — and 12 years together. Following the news, Jolie moved into an L.A. mansion with their six children — Maddox, 16; Pax, 13; Zahara, 12; Shiloh, 11; Vivienne, 9, and Knox, 9. The residence used to be owned by filmmaker Cecil B. DeMille.

Related: Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt’s Relationship in Their Own Words

“It took me a few months to realize that I was really going to have to do it. That there was going to have to be another base regardless of everything,” Jolie continued, adding that it’s like living in a fraternity. “That there was going to have to be a home. Another home.”

According to the NYT, the children helped their famous mom decorate and pick out furniture. “It has a lot of moments,” Jolie said. “It’s happy. Happy and light, and we needed that.”

Related: Angelina Jolie’s Best Red Carpet Moments

The family is currently at the Toronto International Film Festival where Jolie is promoting her new movie, First They Killed My Father. She directed the drama while Maddox was an executive producer and Pax was an on-set photographer.

“They really help me so much. We’re really such a unit,” she said of her kids. “They’re the best friends I’ve ever had. Nobody in my life has ever stood by me more.”

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