She made her strongest hint yet that motherhood was on the cards last February, saying she saw “kids” and “laughter” in her future.
And after Closer revealed that Jennifer Aniston, 51, had spent most of 2020 working through the adoption process, insiders say her plans have moved up a gear and she’s putting things in place to welcome a long-awaited child in the spring.
A source says, “Jen’s been considering adoption for a few years, but it was only when the first lockdown began last March that she really started pushing through with the process, which is now just months away from being finalised. She’s been told by her lawyers that she could be a mum by the spring, so long as everything goes to plan.
“The pandemic hasn’t helped, as all the red tape has taken double the amount of time to work through. Having had friends go through it, Jen knows there are still a few hurdles to get over, but she’s remaining optimistic and has vowed to finally turn her dream into a reality.”
And insiders say Jen’s adoption plans have prompted her best pal and Friends co-star, Courteney Cox, 56 – who underwent IVF to conceive her daughter Coco with her first husband, actor David Arquette – to consider starting a family with her musician fiancé, Johnny McDaid, 44. The pair – who have been dating on and off for seven years – were finally able to reunite for Christmas in Johnny’s native Ireland, after nine months apart as a result of the pandemic.
In 2017, Courteney said, “I’d love to have another baby now. I mean I could carry someone else’s egg. I may be one of the older people doing it, but I’d love to, with Johnny that is.”
Our source says, “Holding Jen’s hand through the adoption process has sparked something inside of Courteney. She’s been inspired to start looking into it herself, saying it would be perfect timing as she and Jen could do it together.
“She’s considering all her options, but Jen has showed her age isn’t a reason to dismiss the idea of becoming a mother again. She knows how much Courteney would love to start a family with Johnny, and she’s encouraged her to go for it, joking at how they could bring up their new babies together and form the next generation of BFFs!”
Check out: stars who adopted later in life
Celebrities who adopted later in life
1 of 4Diane Keaton
The actress adopted both her children – daughter Dexter in 1996 and son Duke five years later – as a single mum in her fifties. Speaking about the experience, Diane, now 74, said, "The loves of my life are my children and my mother. I don't feel as if I need a man. Don't get me wrong, I love men ... [but] I have kids and my work. That's fine with me."
2 of 4Sandra Bullock
Daughter Laila, now eight, completed the Oscar winner's family when she was adopted by Sandra as a toddler in 2015. The star, 56 – who's been dating photographer Bryan Randall for five years – was married to TV star Jesse James when she started the adoption process for son Louis, now 10, in 2010. The pair divorced before it was finalised and she continued the process alone.
3 of 4Madonna
The singer was 58 when she adopted twins girls Esther and Stella, now six, from Malawi in February 2017. Opening up about the process, the mum-of-six – who also adopted her son, David Banda, and daughter, Mercy James, both 13, from Malawi – said, "It's a hard road. It's complicated, but it's so worth it."
4 of 4Kristin Davis
The SATC actress was 53 when she adopted her second child, Wilson, a baby brother for her adopted daughter Gemma, now eight. The 55-year-old recently said raising black children has opened her eyes to the prejudice around her, and admitted being single stopped her from doing it earlier, saying, "One of my big issues was could I do it by myself?"
Closer has previously reported how Jen – who’s godmother to 16-year-old Coco – has received an outpouring of support from her closest pals, including Courteney, fellow Friends star Lisa Kudrow, 57, and actress Sandra Bullock, 56 – who was the same age as Jen when she adopted her second child.
And insiders say Jen’s ex, Brad Pitt – with whom she’s formed an increasingly close friendship since their reconciliation at her fiftieth birthday bash – has also played a role in guiding his ex-wife through the adoption process, drawing on his experience as a co-parent of six children, three of whom are adopted.
The source adds, “Jen’s really valued their support. Brad’s been on hand with practical advice, while Sandra has given her details of a group she joined for single mums, which has helped Jen feel more confident about going it alone.”
Just before her fiftieth bash, Jen was reportedly planning to adopt – not long after, she admitted she still wanted a baby, but needed the help of “science and miracles”. She’d previously spoken about starting a family with then-husband Brad in 2001, saying, “I always thought two or three children, but Brad’s definitely seven. He loves the idea of a huge family.”
More recently it was reported that Jen – who’s been linked to exes Brad and Gerard Butler following her 2018 divorce from Justin Theroux – had been considering adopting from a Mexican orphanage, after it was revealed that she’d been quietly supporting an orphanage in Tijuana for almost a decade.
The source reveals, “Jen’s adoption has been going smoothly and, despite stalling a little amid the pandemic, it’s back in full gear.”
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In both the UK and the US, the minimum age to adopt is 21, and there is no maximum age limit. Adoption UK’s director of public affairs, Alison Woodhead, tells Closer that age isn’t so much a factor, it’s more the type of person. She says, “The adoption community is very diverse. When it comes to a child’s development, it’s not the sexual orientation, or gender, or age, or race of their parent(s) that’s important. Rather, the resilience of those individuals and the quality of the family relationships are what matter.”
The source adds, “While Jen would love to settle down again, right now she’s happy being single and concentrating on her dream of becoming a mother. After years of putting everything being on hold for her work and relationships, she’s finally putting herself first.”
Get the best celeb interviews in Closer magazine each week.