Angelina Jolie Opens up About Divorce From Brad Pitt, Says She 'Doesn't Enjoy Being Single'

09/04/2017 10:58 am EDT

Following a very public breakup, actress and humanitarian, Angelina Jolie is not exactly enjoying the single life.

The 42-year-old told U.K's Sunday Telegraph that she is struggling from an emotional standpoint.

"Sometimes maybe it appears I am pulling it all together," she confesses. "But really I am just trying to get through my days."

The mother of six adds, "I don't enjoy being single. It's not something I wanted. There's nothing nice about it. It's just hard."

The Maleficent star has been struggling with a long list of health issues over the past few years, including a preventative double mastectomy in 2013. Two years later she had her ovaries removed, and just recently revealed in the July issue of Vanity Fair that she developed hypertension, along with a diagnosis for Bell's Palsy.

The events have proved difficult for the star, who said it's taken an emotional toll on her.

"And I have some other health issues," she told the Telegraph. "So, my health is something I have to monitor."

The Oscar winner added that a positive outlook is essential for getting through the tough moments in her life.

"I feel sometimes that my body has taken a hit, but I try to laugh as much as possible," she continues. "We tend to get so stressed that our children feel our stress when they need to feel our joy. Even if you are going through chemo, you need to find the ability to love and laugh. It may sound like a postcard, but it's true."

While she has no immediate plans for acting or directing, she does plan to focus on family life as the kids head into their tween and teen years, with the exception of 9-year-old twins, Vivienne and Knox.

"I am going to cooking classes," she discloses. "Cooking is one of those things you do when you are settled in your life and you can take the time. But, somehow I am just very impatient and I am a little bit erratic. But I am getting into it now. I feel like, if I cook, the kids can all hang out. Although, they often take over and tell me that they can do it better."

Aside from cooking and spending time with her children, the doting mother also hopes to spend more of it nurturing her mental health and well-being.

"I think now I need to rediscover a little bit of the old me," she says. "I think we lose our way a bit. I have had a lot happen in my life, from certain people passing to health issues to raising the children. And it's been a very good time to absorb and develop and grow."

Now that the kids are growing up, Jolie says she is starting to realize that her own sense of play has been put on hold for a while.

"And maybe them hitting their teens is going to bring out a little more fun in Mom," she says. "So maybe I am going back. It may be time."

Photo credit: Getty / Jason Merritt, Getty / Anthony Harvey / Stringer

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