Angelina Jolie admits she 'cries in the shower' so her kids won't worry.

In September 2016, one of Hollywood’s best-known couples, Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt, announced they had split.

The pair are parents to six children, had been together for almost 12 years and had married just two years earlier.

It was the news no celebrity spotter saw coming, and in the 10 months since the split, headlines have been filled with rumours about the stars supposed ‘bitter feuds’, affairs and custody battles.

In May, 53-year-old Brad Pitt offered up his version of events in an interview with GQ Style, admitting that his “boozing” lifestyle had led to the breakdown of his relationship with his second wife.

Now, 42-year-old Angelina Jolie has given her most candid interview since she filed for divorce from her Mr and Mrs Smith co-star.

And with her heartbreaking words to Vanity Fair, we’ve been reminded of the one fact we seem to have forgotten throughout the couple’s split drama: underneath it all, despite the fame and money, this is a family that has been broken.

September cover star Angelina Jolie opens up about life after Brad, her struggles with Bell’s palsy, putting her family and her health first, and finding catharsis in Cambodia while making her most personal film yet. Photograph by @mertalas and @macpiggott.

A post shared by Vanity Fair (@vanityfair) on Jul 26, 2017 at 9:47am PDT

For nine months, Angelina said her and her six children “lived out of suitcases” while they rented houses after moving out their residence with Brad.

The pair are still negotiating the terms of their divorce. Angelina is, for the most part, parenting their six children, all aged under 15, on her own.

“It’s just been the hardest time, and we’re just kind of coming up for air,” she told the magazine’s September issue.

“We’re all trying to do our best to heal our family.”

While she didn’t get into specifics into what led to her decision to split from Brad – it was rumoured a mid-air argument between Brad and oldest son, Maddox, was the catalyst – she did admit that “things got bad”.

"I didn't want to use that word... Things became 'difficult'," she said, adding that she is very proud of how her children have handled the situation," she said.

"They're six very strong-minded, thoughtful, worldly individuals. I'm very proud of them.

"They've been very brave. They were very brave."

But despite her children's courage in the last few months, the actress admitted that she's been afraid to show too much sadness in front of them.

"I was very worried about my mother, growing up - a lot. I do not want my children to be worried about me," she said.

"I think it's very important to cry in the shower and not in front of them.

"They need to know that everything's going to be all right even when you’re not sure it is."

LISTEN: Mamamia Out Loud dissects the breakup between Hollywood's Power Couple.

Despite everything - including a battle with Bell's palsy last year - Angelina said she feels "more like a woman" after the events of the past year.

"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," she said.

"I think that's what makes a woman complete."

Take a look back at Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie over the years.