Associated Press

Los Angeles:

Jennifer Aniston filed for divorce from Brad Pitt, court papers showed. The petition filed on March 25 in Superior Court seeks dissolution of the actors’ marriage based on irreconcilable differences. A long-rumoured split between Jennifer and Brad was confirmed in January when they released a joint statement saying they were formally separating. The couple married on July 29, 2000, and have no children. It was the first marriage for both. In her divorce petition, Aniston asked that her maiden name be restored. The actress took Pitt’s name legally when they married but continued to use Aniston professionally. Pitt, 41, and Aniston, 36, began dating in 1998 after being set up on a blind date. They were married on Malibu bluffs overlooking the Pacific Ocean. Part of Pacific Coast Highway was shut down to accommodate the influx of the 200 guests. Among those who attended were actress Cameron Diaz and most of Aniston’s co-stars from ‘Friends’. Until rumours began swirling that the A-list couple were about to split, there were near-constant tabloid rumors that Aniston was pregnant. The actress had said she and Pitt eventually wanted to start a family. The two remain co-owners of the Plan B production company with producer Brad Grey.

Aniston shot to fame on ‘Friends’, which ended its 10-year run last year as one of television’s highest-rated comedies. She also has starred in such films as ‘Along Came Polly’, ‘Bruce Almighty’ and ‘The Good Girl’. Pitt’s career includes ‘Ocean’s Eleven’, ‘Fight Club’, ‘Meet Joe Black’, ‘Seven Years in Tibet’, ‘Sleepers’, ‘12 Monkeys’, ‘Legends of the Fall’, ‘A River Runs Through It’ and ‘Thelma & Louise’.

Aniston says ignoring the intense media scrutiny she has been under ever since her split with Pitt has helped her cope. The former ‘Friends’ beauty told American TV show ‘Access Hollywood’: “There is always going to be the tough and the nasty. You just tune out that.” Femalefirst quoted Aniston, who announced her separation from Pitt in January, as saying that she felt the public is supporting her. Since their split, rumours have been rife as to why they separated. Jennifer says she is happy concentrating on her career and is determined to complete the change from television actress to movie star.