Angelina Jolie Shares Health Crisis, Praises Shiloh Jolie-Pitt, Who ‘Likes To Dress Like A Boy,’ & Kids

Angelina Jolie has experienced multiple challenges since her highly-publicized split from Brad Pitt. Now, in the wake of the spotlight shining on Jolie, Pitt, and their six children, Angelina is opening up about topics ranging from a shocking new health diagnosis to her pride in the kids and how they are dealing with the changes in their family.

Talking with Vanity Fair, Jolie reflected on how life is finally getting easier in some ways for herself and the six children. After Angelina filed for divorce from Pitt, the 42-year-old actress and her kids spent nine months residing in a rental home. But after a period of living out of suitcases in that rental house, Jolie has purchased a historic Los Angeles mansion for $25 million that helps them all feel more settled.

Angelina looks at the new phase of her life with Maddox, Pax, Zahara, twins Knox and Vivienne, and Shiloh Jolie-Pitt as a time for them all to heal.

“It’s just been the hardest time, and we’re just kind of coming up for air…we’re all trying to do our best to heal as our family.”

Jolie also denied allegations that the lifestyle led by Brangelina resulted in the split. The actress emphasized that the problem wasn’t the lifestyle, viewing the travel and other larger-than-life existence as “one of the wonderful opportunities we are able to give our children.”

As a result of those experiences, Angelina views her kids as thoughtful, worldly, and “very strong-minded,” expressing that she’s proud of them and their bravery, sharing that the children have been “very brave…in times they needed to be.”

Three of the kids are adopted — Maddox, 15; Pax, 13; and Zahara, 12 — and three are biological, 11-year-old Shiloh Jolie-Pitt and 9-year-old twins Vivienne and Knox. Maddox allegedly was involved in what Vanity Fair called the “last straw,” a trip on a private plane that allegedly included a physical and verbal altercation between Brad and Maddox. That trip reportedly was followed by Jolie going home with the kids.

As for life in Jolie’s new home with the children, Vanity Fair noted that in some ways, it resembles life in most homes with children, but commented on 11-year-old Shiloh’s outfit choice.

“Shiloh, who likes to dress like a boy, is wearing a camouflage jacket, long shorts, and heavy black sneakers, despite the blazing heat.”

As the Inquisitr noted, reports of Shiloh’s desire to dress like a boy stem from comments that both Jolie and Pitt have made. In 2010, Jolie told Vanity Fair that Shiloh preferred regular suits and tracksuits.

“So it’s a suit with a tie and a jacket and slacks, or a tracksuit. She likes to dress like a boy,” said Angelina.

“She wants to be a boy. So we had to cut her hair. She likes to wear boys’ everything. She thinks she’s one of the brothers.”

Talking with Oprah Winfrey two years prior, Brad had revealed that Shiloh only wanted to be called John at the time, or Peter, calling it a “Peter Pan” thing.

Now, looking over what life since her split from Pitt has meant for the kids, Jolie is putting the emphasis on recovering from what led up to her decision to file for divorce.

“We’re all just healing from the events that led to the filing,” she added.

And when it comes to healing, Angelina has shared her decision to have a preventive double mastectomy and reconstructive surgery after she learned she had the BRCA1 gene. She subsequently had her ovaries removed for prevention as well.

Angelina Jolie reveals Bell's Palsy diagnosis, says her kids are still ''healing'' from Brad Pitt divorce: https://t.co/FCYvE2W86m pic.twitter.com/HFDT7SWNYE

— E! News (@enews) July 26, 2017

Jolie also is now sharing that she also went through a health crisis last year. In addition to hypertension, she was diagnosed with Bell’s palsy, a result of damage to facial nerves. That caused one side of her face to droop. Angelina feels that her life at the time may have contributed to her health crisis.

“Sometimes women in families put themselves last, until it manifests itself in their own health.”

Jolie also is experiencing drier skin and extra gray hairs. But she’s taking these signs, along with hypertension and Bell’s palsy, as demonstration of becoming more of a woman. She feels acupuncture helped her recover from Bell’s.

“I actually feel more of a woman because I feel like I’m being smart about my choices, and I’m putting my family first, and I’m in charge of my life and my health. I think that’s what makes a woman complete,” summed up Angelina.

Jolie also shared her pride in making the house into a home, from picking up the dog’s poop to washing dishes.

“I’ve been trying…to be really good at just being a homemaker and picking up dog poop and cleaning dishes and reading bedtime stories. And I’m getting better…”

Angelina shared that she recently was talking with one of her sons, Knox, and joked that life would never become completely “normal” in their home.

Knox challenged his mom, stating that they weren’t normal and recommending that they “never” become normal. Jolie embraced that philosophy.

“Thank you—yes! We’re not normal. Let’s embrace being not normal,” she gushed.

[Featured Image by Kevin Winter/Getty Images]