She finally broke her silence on the baby rumours which have surrounded her personal life since shooting to worldwide fame on Friends 28 years ago.
For almost three decades, Jennifer Aniston’s journey to motherhood has been the subject of constant speculation alongside her rocky road to finding The One amid her two divorces.
And it led the 53-year-old star to pen a powerful essay for the Huffington Post in 2016 about the public scrutiny she’s endured throughout the years of pregnancy speculation and the stigma that surrounds women who choose not to have or cannot have children.
“I’m fed up”, wrote the actress, who was married to Brad Pitt from 2000 to 2005 and Justin Theroux from 2015 to 2018.
Jen – whose marriage breakdowns were unfairly blamed on the star putting her career before having children – continued, “We don’t need to be married or mothers to be complete.
“We get to determine our own happily ever after for ourselves.”
Despite her lengthy piece, questions still lingered, sparking speculation that her frustration was rooted in a painful failed fertility journey.
That was one report she finally admitted was true last month when she candidly addressed her IVF and fertility struggles for the first time, admitting, “It was a challenging road for me, the baby-making road.
“My late 30s, 40s, I’d gone through really hard sh*t, and if it wasn’t for going through that, I would’ve never become who I was meant to be. I was trying to get pregnant.”
The Morning Show star added, “I have zero regrets. I actually feel a little relief now because there is no more, ‘Can I? Maybe. Maybe.’ I don’t have to think about that any more.”
And insiders say finally lifting the lid on her private struggles has helped put that painful chapter behind her and find peace and happiness in a future without children.
The source says, “Staying silent on her private battle for so many years while the rumours continued was incredibly tough for Jen and became detrimental to her mental health – more so than she realised until speaking out.
“Baring her soul and finally offloading the years of pain has been incredibly therapeutic and she finally feels like she’s been freed of the weight and burden she’s carried around for so long and can finally move on to the next chapter of her life.”
While the actress has remained single since her divorce from actor Justin in 2018, the speculation surrounding the love life of “America’s sweetheart” has continued to swirl.
Fans were sent into a frenzy following her embrace with Brad at the 2020 Golden Globes – sparking reports they were set to reunite, 15 years after their marriage ended when he fell in love with Angelina Jolie on the set of Mr & Mrs Smith.
And last year, Friends fans went into meltdown during the show’s 25-year reunion show when Jen’s former co-star, David Schwimmer, 56, aka Ross Geller, admitted the pair had secretly had a crush on one another for years.
Insiders at the time told Closer how the pair went on a couple of dates following their confession, but decided not to pursue a romance amid fears it would ruin their close friendship.
And despite recent reports of a flirtation between her and her The Morning Show co-star, Jon Hamm – who’s dating actress, Anna Osceola – pals say Jen is very much single and excited to find love in 2023.
The source says, “Jen’s been dealing with a lot of deep-rooted pain and has done a lot of self-reflection over the last few years which has helped her get to one of the happiest and most content places she’s been in a very long time.
“She’s now in a place where she feels emotionally ready to open her heart back up to someone and find a life partner who she can settle down with and enjoy her future with.
“She’s not putting any pressure on herself, but she knows that when the time’s right, it will happen for her and she’s confident that 2023 is going to be her year for love. She can’t wait to start this next chapter of her life.”