Angelina Jolie's father: 'Something very serious must have happened for Jolie to file for divorce from Brad Pitt'

Her father Jon Voight says he is concerned for Jolie and the children

Maya Oppenheim
Wednesday 21 September 2016 08:51 BST
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Voight has had a troubled relationship with Jolie in the past and was estranged from her for severals years
Voight has had a troubled relationship with Jolie in the past and was estranged from her for severals years

It was not just their legion of devoted fans who were thrust into a state of shock after Angelina Jolie decided to file for divorce from Brad Pitt after just two years of marriage. Jolie’s father has also expressed dismay at the news.

Jon Voight said he believes something serious must have happened for Jolie to make the decision to part ways after 10 years together.

The 77-year-old actor, who is best known for his roles in Midnight Cowboy and Coming Home, described the news as “very sad” and said he was “concerned” for his daughter and his grandchildren.

According to TMZ, who broke the story, Jolie is filing for physical custody of their six children but for Pitt to have visitation and joint legal custody. The entertainment site, which claims to have viewed a legal filing, said Jolie “was extremely upset” by Pitt's parenting methods.

“It’s very sad,” Voight told Inside Edition on Tuesday. “Something very serious must have happened for Angie to make a decision like this.”

Voight said he did not know what had motivated his daughter to file for divorce. “I don’t know what it is. It’s a sad thing. Say a little prayer.”

“I am concerned for Angie and the children and hopefully I will be seeing them very soon,“ he added.

Voight has had a troubled relationship with Jolie in the past and was estranged from her for several years. He divorced Marcheline Bertrand, with whom he also shares a son, James Haven, in 1976, when Jolie was just one-year-old and struggled with his relationship with his two children there afterwards.

Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt: A timeline of their relationship

However, after Jolie’s mother became ill with cancer they began speaking again and reconciled their relationship. Bertrand died in 2007.

Jolie and Pitt were officially a couple in 2006 after meeting on the set of Mr and Mrs Smith while playing married spies. They then married at Chateau Miraval in the French village of Correns in 2014. They have six children together - Maddox, 15, Pax, 12, Zahara, 11, who are adopted, and biological children Shiloh, 10, and twins Knox and Vivienne who are eight.

The couple successfully sued the News of the World in 2010 after false allegations they were deciding to separate.

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