Gwyneth Paltrow is looking back on one of Hollywood’s most talked-about romances.
The actress recently opened up about her former relationship with Brad Pitt, admitting that their breakup was difficult and reflecting on the intense attention surrounding their romance.
Paltrow and Pitt began dating in 1994 after meeting while working together on “Se7en.”
Their relationship quickly became serious, and Pitt proposed in December 1996. But the pair ultimately ended their engagement in 1997, before they ever made it to the altar.
Paltrow Recalls the Split
During an appearance on the “Friends Keep Secrets” podcast, Paltrow described the relationship as “heady” and opened up about how challenging their split was.
“I was just young, and we were working all over different parts of the world,” Paltrow, 53, recalled of the “hard” split.
“The press aspect and all that makes it feel larger than life in a way,” she added. “You have to carry this faux cultural importance piece, this extra burden and extra shame that it didn’t work out.”
Despite how things ended, Paltrow made it clear that there are no hard feelings between her and Pitt today. The actress said she continues to have affection for her former fiancé.
“He’s a great guy, and I love him to this day. He’s a friend,” Paltrow said.
Looking back at the beginning of their romance, Paltrow described their connection as “love at first sight.” She remembered the experience as a “pretty awesome” and “really fun” time in her life.
“He was so beautiful,” Paltrow gushed. “I think he was 31 and I was 22.”
The relationship was also Paltrow’s first major romance to unfold under the glare of the public.
As her own career was taking off, she found herself becoming known not only for her work but also for being Pitt’s girlfriend.
Paltrow Said She Was Overwhelmed at the Time
Paltrow recalled that experience as “overwhelming,” particularly because she was becoming famous on her own at the same time.
Pitt also previously spoke about how quickly he was drawn to Paltrow. In a 1997 interview with Rolling Stone, he remembered knowing almost immediately that there was something special between them.
“I knew immediately, I’ll tell you that much,” Pitt said. “I got within 10 feet of her, and I got goofy. I couldn’t talk.”
Their engagement ended only months after it began. Pitt’s publicist Cindy Guagenti confirmed the breakup at the time, according to PEOPLE.
“They have been broken up for a couple of weeks now,” she said. “It’s not because of any one specific event.”
A source close to the actors also pushed back against speculation that infidelity had caused the split.
“It’s a real relationship with real problems. This is not about any third party. This is absolutely between the two of them.”
Both stars eventually moved into other high-profile relationships.
Paltrow later married Coldplay frontman Chris Martin and, following their “conscious uncoupling,” married writer Brad Falchuk in 2018.
Pitt went on to marry Jennifer Aniston and later Angelina Jolie.
Nearly three decades after their engagement ended, Paltrow’s latest comments show that the former couple’s relationship remains an important chapter in her past.
