Perez Hilton‘s mother has filed to obtain temporary custody of his three children following his self-harm livestream, The Daily Mail can confirm.

Hilton, 48, was taken to the hospital in Miami last Tuesday after the police received emergency calls alerting them to a potential suicide attempt.

Footage from the stream, which The Daily Mail has chosen not to republish, appears to show the celebrity blogger smeared with blood after seemingly having cut himself with a knife.

His team subsequently issued a statement assuring the public that his ‘children remain safe and are being cared for by immediate family.’

On August 7, three days after the incident, his mother, Teresita Lavandeira, submitted a petition in a Miami family court to temporarily assume custody of Mario, 13, Mia, 11, and Mayte, eight, according to records viewed by The Daily Mail.

The Daily Mail has contacted Hilton’s representatives for comment. 

Three days after the incident, Teresita Lavandeira, above with her son, submitted a petition in a Miami family court to temporarily assume custody of his three children

Hilton, 48, was taken to the hospital in Miami last Tuesday after the police received emergency calls alerting them to a potential suicide attempt. Above, in the hospital earlier this year

The day after Hilton was hospitalized, it emerged that his three children, as well as his niece and his sister, Barbara Lavandeira, 42, had been inside his Florida home in the minutes leading up to the livestream incident. 

A statement shared on Hilton’s website has indicated his family ‘immediately fled’ to protect the children from ‘witnessing any further trauma’ when it was clear Hilton was having ‘a severe mental health crisis and harming himself.’

Hilton’s team revealed over the weekend that he had sustained ‘significant blood loss’ as well as unspecified ‘additional injuries.’

According to the update, the one-time celebrity gossip blogger would ‘require surgery in the coming days’ to treat his injuries.

The statement also confirmed that Hilton ‘remains hospitalized under Florida‘s Baker Act,’ a law that allows for involuntary hospitalizations.

Due to the conditions of his facility and the Baker Act, they emphasized that the blogger’s ‘communication has been extremely limited and confined to immediate family, medical providers, and others directly involved in his care.’

The Baker Act – officially the Florida Mental Health Act – allows medical and mental health professionals, as well as judges and law enforcement officers, to involuntarily commit individuals for up to 72 hours if they are believed to be at risk of harming themselves or others. 

Hilton’s team emphasized that his ‘condition remains serious but stable,’ explaining that his ‘treatment and recovery’ would be a ‘long process.’

Teresita with Hilton and his two older children attending the 2018 premiere of Goosebumps 2: Haunted Halloween in Los Angeles

Hilton was hospitalized in March and shared pictures as he recovered from sepsis on the ward

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They also shared that he had been able to spend time with his mother and sister on Friday. 

Hilton’s team confirmed that his ‘children remain safe and are being cared for by immediate family.’ 

Surveillance footage from a neighbor’s house captured the moment when law enforcement arrived at Hilton’s residence in Miami last Tuesday after fans reached out to 911 over concerns for his welfare. 

Police cars could be seen pulling up to the home not long after 7pm on Tuesday evening. 

Law enforcement was seen trying to coax Hilton, whose real name is Mario Armando Lavandeira Jr, out of his home in the video. 

A deputy was heard calling out: ‘Mario, it’s the Miami-Dade Sheriff’s Office, please step out of the house.’  

Clips taken from the footage appeared to show the media personality covered in blood while brandishing a knife. 

The livestream video has since been taken down by TikTok, and his account has also been suspended. 

Hilton’s team has confirmed he ‘remains hospitalized under Florida’s Baker Act,’ a law that allows for involuntary hospitalizations

The livestream video has since been taken down by TikTok and his account has also been suspended

His family requested ‘privacy and space they need during this unimaginably difficult time’ 

The statement from Perez’s family continued: ‘Our family cannot express enough our continued gratitude for the overwhelming outpouring of love, support, and prayers we have received during this incredibly difficult time.

‘The events of the past several days have been nearly unbearable for our family.’ 

‘Our highest priority right now is helping the children begin to heal from what they experienced. An important part of that process is allowing them to safely return home and begin rebuilding a sense of security and normalcy.’ 

Hilton’s family also requested ‘privacy and space they need during this unimaginably difficult time’.

They added: ‘We will continue to provide updates on Perez’s condition through PerezHilton.com when we have additional information we are able to share. Again, thank you for your compassion, understanding, and continued prayers.’

Hilton had been hospitalized earlier this year in March and had shared pictures of himself on the ward while recovering from sepsis. 

He had developed an ulcer after taking flu medication on an empty stomach, which then led to a 21-day hospitalization. 

Hilton developed an ulcer earlier this year after taking flu medication on an empty stomach, which then led to a 21-day hospitalization. Above, last year

And just weeks later, the blogger faced another health crisis after experiencing ‘soreness and pain in one of my legs.’

Following an ultrasound, it was revealed that Hilton had a deep vein thrombosis.

‘I am so thankful to God that we caught this early because if that blood clot had gone to my lungs or my heart, it could have been real bad,’ he said on Instagram at the time. 

He soon gave another update on social media to share that he was able to ‘finally walk again’ as he used the help of a walker. 

Months before the distressing TikTok livestream, Hilton reflected on his health scares.

During an appearance on Fox News Media’s Hang Out with Sean Hannity podcast, which had been recorded on July 14, he said: ‘I was in the hospital for 21 days, so I thought I was gonna die.

‘Especially because the first few days they couldn’t find where the perforation was and then I had all of these other issues. My body just started breaking down.’

He further explained: ‘I had fluid in my lungs. I went AFib. My heart issues. Everything that could go wrong, went wrong.

‘I’m 48 and I’ve never taken any kind of flu medication with food. And some medication, you don’t need to take with food. The flu medication you’re supposed to take with food.’ 

Hilton stated that he took both ‘Aleve and Tylenol’ on an empty stomach. 

‘I know, I did that for a week, and I developed an ulcer and a perforation and here we are.’

He soon gave another update on social media to share that he was able to ‘finally walk again’ as he used the help of a walker

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Hilton notably launched his celebrity gossip blog back in 2004, which was originally called PageSixSixSix.com. Shortly after, he changed the name to PerezHilton.com.

He has also befriended a number of Hollywood celebrities.

Back in 2021, Hilton admitted that he ‘regrets’ the way he covered Britney Spears’s breakdown in 2007.

He had garnered criticism for ‘bullying’ the Baby One More Time hitmaker after he previously called her an ‘unfit mother.’

He also released a shirt design on his website in 2008, which questioned why the pop star didn’t die instead of Heath Ledger.

The shirt had an image of the actor from his role in Brokeback Mountain as well as the words: ‘Why couldn’t it be Britney?’

‘I regret a lot or most of what I said about Britney as I’m sure Piers [Morgan] would if he were here about things he’s said in the past,’ Hilton said during an interview on the TV show Good Morning Britain.

The media personality added that he has grown over the years and expressed: ‘Thankfully, hopefully, many of us get older and wiser.’

If you or someone you know needs help in the US, please call or text the confidential 24/7 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline at 988. If you are in the UK, call Samaritans at 116 123 for free. If you are in Australia, call Lifeline 13 11 14 or Kids Helpline at 1800 55 1800.

That one probably wasn’t in the training manual.

First responders in Washington, D.C., got an unusual surprise on Wednesday when a suspicious package outside an area fire station turned out to be a sex toy.

The device was reported to officials around 7 a.m., after a bystander saw someone leave it in the trash near the Tenleytown fire station.

The individual with the object allegedly approached a member of the firehouse, then left the device, which could be seen with exposed wires, behind.

The encounter triggered a large emergency response, which shut down Wisconsin Avenue NW from 40th Street to Warren Street for nearly two hours.

The Washington Metropolitan Police Department’s bomb squad and K-9 unit cleared the item, which was first thought to be a thermos.

Police later described the object as an “electronic sex portable pump device.”

News photos showed a technician carrying a blue and black cylindrical object about the size of a large water bottle.

The Independent has contacted the police department for comment.

The area has been cleared and reopened to traffic.

Though today’s firehouse incident was a false alarm, the threats in the nation’s capital are very real.

Secret Service Director Sean Curran recently warned that threat levels facing the agency are “off the charts” in the current political climate.

Secret Service Director Sean Curran has revealed that the current threat level his agency faces is “off the charts,” blaming a political climate more volatile than anything he said he has seen over his 24-year career.

Around 10,000 threats have been made against government officials and Supreme Court justices so far in 2026, a 40 percent increase on the same period in 2025, he said last month.

Last November, a bomb threat temporarily halted flights at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport in Virginia.

American football player Travis Kelce has reflected on his wedding to Taylor Swift, telling US media that their nuptials were “the best night of my life”.

Kelce and Swift tied the knot on 3 July at New York’s Madison Square Garden in a star-studded event that was largely kept private.

Few details from the ceremony have been shared publicly and Kelce’s comments on Wednesday mark the first he’s shared since the couple were wed by comedic actor Adam Sandler.

“It was kind of cool to live out my childhood dream of being in that venue, the mecca of all sports venues, being able to get married there,” Kelce told reporters at the Kansas City Chiefs’ training camp in Missouri.

Kelce called the wedding “the best night of my life”, thanking guests who attended and calling it “a crazy night”.

The NFL star and the award-winning singer have kept much of the details of the wedding private and there have been no official photos released of the ceremony held inside the stadium. A litany of Hollywood A-list stars, such as actors Hugh Grant and Jason Sudeikis, singer Benson Boone and model Gigi Hadid were in attendance.

Kelce said he had wanted to attend a game when the New York Knicks basketball team were having a good playoff run last year, but had other commitments. The team ended up winning the NBA championships for the first time in nearly six decades.

“My wife went when I was stuck in a mini camp so I didn’t get my opportunity to go then,” he said referring to Swift as his wife publicly for the first time. She sat courtside at Game 4 of the NBA Finals, when the Knicks pulled off a stunning upset against the San Antonio Spurs in a 107-106 finish.

Work is set to begin on Monday (August 17) to resurface Beckfield Lane in York as part of the city council’s Highways Maintenance Programme.

The scheme is running from Wetherby Road to the junction of Lidgett Grove and will begin on Monday and is expected to be completed by Friday, September 4.

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The project – which follows recent upgrades in the area, including footpath resurfacing, drainage improvements, new bus shelters and improved tactile crossings – will be delivered in two phases to reduce disruption.

Phase one, from Wetherby Road to Ostman Road, will run from August 17 to August 24 and during this phase, access to Ostman Road will be maintained from the Boroughbridge Road end of Beckfield Lane.

Phase two, covering Ostman Road to Lidgett Grove, will begin on August 25 and is scheduled to finish by 5pm on September 4 – with residents able to access Ostman Road from the Wetherby Road end.

Beckfield Lane will be closed to traffic between 8am and 5pm on weekdays throughout the works, but will reopen in the evenings, on weekends, and during the August Bank Holiday (August 31).

Pedestrian and mobility aid access will be maintained at all times, however cyclists will be diverted via Boroughbridge Road, Carr Lane and Wetherby Road during both phases.

Buses will follow their normal routes until 9.30am each day, after which services will be redirected until the road reopens at 5pm.

Councillor Kate Ravilious, executive member for transport at City of York Council, said: “Having already completed significant road resurfacing works at Bishopthorpe, Osbaldwick and Monks Cross, amongst many others across the city, we continue to deliver our record programme of planned Highways Maintenance works for 2026/27 alongside emergency repairs.

“We’re responsible for over 500 miles of roads across the city and maintaining them is crucial in helping everyone to get around the city efficiently. We’re grateful for everyone’s patience while our contractors get this work done.

“Businesses in the area are very much open for business and we encourage residents to continue supporting them through this period.”

Carers and residents requiring transport to medical appointments will be allowed through the closure, and businesses needing daytime deliveries are asked to contact the council.

Waste and recycling collections will continue as normal and emergency services will always be permitted.

Lane Rentals Services will carry out the works on behalf of City of York Council.

An experienced detective sacked for allegedly calling trans-women ‘c**s in frocks’ has hit out at the way her case was handled and told how she has had to increase security at her home for fear of activist attacks.

Detective Constable Rachel Fletcher, 49, today denied ever having used the derogatory phrase but did say she had issues with the way she feels trans rights have been put ahead of women’s rights.

Ms Fletcher is now set to pursue an unfair dismissal and discrimination case on the grounds of her gender critical beliefs -and insists that her views on trans issues have been misrepresented by Northumbria Police.

Speaking from her home in Newcastle-upon-Tyne, Ms Fletcher said she has received ‘incredible support’ since she was dismissed from the force following 23 years of service – a civilian in the force for six years, and then a cop for 17 years.

‘I have been sent support from members of the public, colleagues, former colleagues, people I went to school with and politicians,’ said the single mother of two.

‘People have reached out on X and I’ve had loads of messages from retired cops, saying “keep going”, “you’re doing the right thing” and that it all needs to be challenged.

‘I’ve had very few negative reactions.’

But Ms Fletcher denies the allegations against her.

‘I didn’t say “c***s in frocks”, although that is going to be attached to my name for the rest of my life, even though I didn’t say it,’ she laughed.

But she does recall the context and location of where she was alleged to have made the remark.

‘I absolutely remember the conversation. I was talking about the search guidance that was in place at the time, which had been brought in very quietly in 2021,’ she said.

It was the strip search guidance for police officers strip searching members of the public who had been brought into custody.

‘The policy was basically self ID. So, for example, if a male police officer declared himself as female, then he would be permitted to carry out any and all searches on other females, so other female prisoners,’ she explained.

‘And, vice versa.

‘And, anyone who objected to that could be deemed to have objected on the basis of discriminatory views and have a hate crime recorded against them.’

Recalling how the ‘c’***s in frocks’ phrase may have been misheard by colleagues at Gateshead Police Station, during the frank discussion amongst themselves, Ms Fletcher said: ‘I was talking about imagining a brand new female recruit going into custody who has to conduct a strip search of a prisoner.

‘She might be with her tutor constable. She goes into custody and is told “we need you to strip search a woman”.

‘That would be really daunting for her anyway, because the first time you do things like that, it is terrifying.’

Ms Fletcher, who served as a child protection detective and later a family liaison officer, explained that when conducting a strip search on males or females, the top half is searched first. The prisoner is asked to remove their upper clothing and a visual search is done.

Ms Fletcher today denied ever having used the derogatory phrase but did say she had issues with the way she feels trans rights have been put ahead of women’s rights .

Then, the upper clothing is replaced and the lower garments are then removed by the prisoner so a visual search of the bottom part of the body can be conducted.

She continued: ‘Once naked on the bottom half, they are asked to bend over, so the officer can check whether anything could be concealed.

‘You don’t touch them at all, but you are looking at somebody’s private parts. It couldn’t be any more degrading for them.

‘Imagine someone identifying as a woman undressed their bottom half, and there was a c**k.

‘How would that young female officer feel? Would she have the confidence to say “Hold on a minute, this isn’t right. I shouldn’t be doing this?” – because I don’t think she would.’

She said the word ‘c**k’ was used among colleagues who do the same job and are well-used to such language.

‘We spend all day talking about sex offences,’ said the experienced child protection and family liaison officer.

‘We have heard and use every possible name for body parts in our line of duty. Victims use every possible word for genitalia, etc, when interviewing victims and suspects.

‘People don’t always use correct anatomical language, and if I’m asking someone to tell me what happened to them, I would ask them to use their own terms and language.’

She said all officers are ‘desensitised’ to often vulgar words, and she would not use them at home or amongst friends, or the public.

‘But it is language I would use in the office, because it is completely normal there,’ she said.

Ms Fletcher said she was not shocked when she was dismissed on 31 July for gross misconduct allegation of making the ‘c**ks in frocks’ remark and ‘all men are rapists’.

‘Again, I didn’t say “all men are rapists”, I said “all rapists are men”.’

She said she joked about putting all men on a 9pm curfew to stop nighttime rapes.

‘It was a total joke, and everybody in the room, at the time, knew it was a joke,’ she said.

‘It is not something I would support in reality.

‘I am absolutely looking forward to fighting my case at an employment tribunal.’

Meanwhile, Ms Fletcher is trying to enjoy the summer holidays before trying to find alternative employment.

However, she has been forced to take measures for her own safety.

‘I’ve had to put CCTV cameras on my house because I knew all this would be public, and I’m expecting to get death threats and things like that. I haven’t had any yet, but I am expecting that.’

Ms Fletcher’s employment tribunal case is listed for November, next year.

Rics chief economist, Simon Rubinsohn, said: “The housing market remains subdued, and while that is not usual over the summer months, it is clear from the Rics seasonally adjusted data, that the combination of geopolitics, the domestic political climate and the cost of mortgage finance are continuing to weigh on sentiment.

A spokesperson for the Environment Agency said the organisation is ‘disgusted’ with the level of vandalism

Lives have been put “in danger” following a rise in vandalism this summer, including at locations along the River Nene. The Environment Agency said it is “disgusted” by the level of vandalism.

The agency has urged the public to stop tampering with sluices, locks, and other water control structures. A spokesperson said: “Environment Agency water control structures suffer repeated vandalism which puts lives at risk and worsens drought impacts.”

According to the Environment Agency, Ashton Lock, near Oundle, has been “one of the worst-hit sites”. Vandals damaged its winding wheel, which meant it had to be removed for repairs.

A temporary fix was fitted, then stolen. The lock’s guillotine gate, which controls water flow, was then tampered with too, draining water needed for wildlife and navigation.

The spokesperson added: “Damage to water infrastructure is making it harder to manage already low water levels and is putting people at risk. Tampering lowers water levels, disrupts navigation, harms wildlife and habitats, and creates serious safety hazards.”

In a separate incident at the same lock, people took a life buoy and its rope from a safety station, used the rope to tie open the lock’s doors, then wound up the guillotine gate, draining water upstream. This has happened repeatedly and has been reported to the police, the Environment Agency revealed.

Elsewhere, people have tried to break into control panel boxes, climbed on guillotine gates, and jumped into locks where there are “hidden hazards due to the infrastructure, putting themselves at serious risk”, according to the agency.

In a statement, the Environment Agency said: “A common problem on the River Nene is people manually winding up lock paddles which then drain the stretch of river above. The worst-affected stretch is between Upper and Lower Barnwell locks, home to Oundle Marina, where some residents live aboard their boats.

“Water levels there drop quickly and, during drought, can take a long time to recover. People have also been reported climbing onto or breaking into weed-cutting boats left on the riverbank during maintenance.”

Ben Thornely, Area Manager for the Environment Agency, said: “We are disgusted with the level of vandalism we are experiencing at our vital water control structures. This puts lives in danger and has big implications for wildlife and navigation during drought. If you witness vandalism or antisocial behaviour at our assets please report it to the police and to us on 0800 807060.

“The Environment Agency is taking action to protect its infrastructure, including placing volunteers at Great Ouse sites to discourage vandals, having CCTV at some locations with some linked to council control rooms with speakers, plus regular and additional safety inspections and more.”

Other locations affected by waterways vandalism include:

• Northampton Town Lock;
• Whiston Lock;
• Billing Lock;
• Upper and Lower Wellingborough Locks;
• Irthlingborough Lock;
• Denford Lock;
• Nine Arches Mooring;
• Lower Barnwell Lock;
• Elton Lock
• Alwalton Lock.

Brad Pitt once claimed he could ‘drink a Russian under the table with his own vodka’.

Although self-reflective at the time, it was a particularly unsettling statement, given that it came in 2017 just a year after the terrifying account of his drunken rage on board a private flight – which ultimately cost him his marriage and his family.

So, when Pitt, seven years sober, revealed this week that he was back on the booze, eyebrows were raised.

Is it possible for him to return to drinking sensibly?

Pitt, 62, seems to think so.

‘I was sober for seven years. And then I got back off the wagon,’ he told Esquire magazine, apparently even ‘offering a little laugh’, according to the interviewer.

He sought help for alcoholism in 2016 after his drunken rage on board a private flight cost him his marriage to Angelina Jolie (pictured) and their children 

He insisted that he now drinks ‘in a more restrained manner’, describing how he ‘got over-confident a couple times, went, “Yep, nope, not good for me.” Not in big quantities.’

He clarified that he can ‘have a few’ glasses of wine, but no more. ‘I have to be professional about it.’

This week a source close to Pitt’s camp told the Daily Mail that the star’s return to drinking was a ‘gradual process in recent years’, as Pitt slowly figured out ‘how he felt comfortable and what he felt was appropriate for him’.

‘Friends had become more aware of it recently,’ said the insider who added he drinks with pals and his girlfriend of four years, Ines de Ramon.

It’s de Ramon, according to sources, who stops Pitt from having one too many and succumbing to the pull of addiction.

Pitt has been dating jewellery executive de Ramon, 33, since late 2022, with the elusive pair moving in together in Los Angeles before making their red-carpet debut at the Venice Film Festival in 2024.

It was only in July this year that the New Jersey native made her romance Instagram official, sharing several snaps of them at Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce’s wedding at New York’s Madison Square Garden – where we are told Pitt was drinking.

‘Ines smokes and likes a glass of wine or two, especially at dinner,’ said a source close to Pitt’s production company Plan B Entertainment.

This week a source told the Daily Mail that his return to drinking was a ‘gradual process over recent years’, as Pitt slowly figured out ‘how he felt comfortable and what he felt was appropriate for him’ (pictured in 2009 in Cannes) 

‘Friends had become more aware of it recently,’ said the insider who added he drinks with pals and his girlfriend of four years Ines de Ramon, who stops Pitt from having one too many (pictured in June 2025)

‘She’s never set boundaries with Brad, but until recently he’s managed to hold off alcohol. He’s made a pact with Ines that she won’t let his habit get out of control.

‘Brad has had one of the most stressful years of his life. On top of dealing with what seemed like a never-ending divorce, he’s found it very difficult to get over his mother’s death.

‘Ines understands the strain the past year has been for him. She’s by his side to make sure he doesn’t overdo it.’

But one person who has already raised doubts is ex-wife Angelina Jolie, who is reportedly ‘not surprised’ by Pitt’s return to drinking.

During their infamous eight-year divorce battle Jolie filed court papers accusing Pitt of drunkenly attacking her and some of their children during an alleged altercation on a private jet back in September 2016.

Jolie accused her then-husband of ‘physically abusing’ their six children – Maddox, then 15, Pax, 12, Zahara, 11, Shiloh, ten, and twins Vivienne and Knox, eight – onboard.

FBI documents made public in 2022 detailed the extent of the terrifying ordeal.

They claimed Pitt ‘lunged’ at one of the children as they tried to defend their mother, and later ‘choked’ one of them and ‘struck another in the face’.

‘She’s never set boundaries with Brad, but until recently he’s managed to hold off alcohol,’ said another insider. ‘He’s made a pact with Ines that she won’t let his habit get out of control’ (pictured together in July)

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During their infamous eight-year divorce battle Jolie filed court papers accusing Pitt of drunkenly attacking her and some of their children during an alleged altercation on a private jet in 2016 (pictured with their kids Maddox, Pax, Zahara, Shiloh, Knox and Vivienne in 2011)

‘Some of the children pleaded with Pitt to stop. They were all frightened. Many were crying,’ the documents read. ‘At one point, he poured beer on Jolie; at another, he poured beer and red wine on the children. After many tense hours, Pitt finally fell asleep.’

On landing, Jolie woke him up and told him she and the children were going to a hotel instead of to their home but, according to the court documents, Pitt ‘shouted that nobody was getting off the plane and prevented the family from deplaning for about 20 minutes’.

It was only ‘after a child intervened and demanded to leave’ that Pitt ‘finally relented’.

‘But once outside the plane door, Pitt again physically abused one of their children,’ the documents read. ‘He also grabbed and shook Jolie by the head and shoulders, causing one of the children to beg, “Don’t hurt her.”

‘He let Jolie go but then called her a “b****”, before adding, “F*** you, f*** you all.”

An FBI investigation was launched, but no charges were ever filed. Child services also did not find abuse.

Pitt either sought help or was encouraged to do so, with the actor seen leaving Alcoholics Anonymous that same month.

‘Brad was sober for so long because he’d been drinking steadily for over 40 years,’ an insider close to the star’s camp told the Daily Mail.

Pitt and Ms Jolie were once considered Hollywood’s golden couple during their marriage (pictured in 2015, a year after they wed)

Pitt went to alcoholics anonymous after the September 2016 incident and later credited Bradley Cooper – who got sober two decades ago after struggling with alcohol and cocaine addiction – with helping him give up alcohol

‘Overdoing it with pals and even alone, many, many times. He knew it was time to stop and lead a sober life. Drinking has caused him too many problems for too long.’

Last year he revealed the depths to which his addiction took him, telling Dax Shepard’s Armchair Expert podcast: ‘I was pretty much on my knees, and I was really open. I was trying anything and everyone, anything anyone threw at me. It was a difficult time. I needed rebooting. I needed to wake the f*** up in some areas.’

He previously credited actor Bradley Cooper with helping him get sober, claiming in 2020 that ‘every day’s been happier ever since. I love you and I thank you’.

He joked that he had ‘the cleanest urinary tract in all of LA’ after he switched his beverage of choice to ‘cranberry juice and fizzy water’.

So it is no surprise ‘some of Brad’s Alcoholics Anonymous friends have expressed concern about him drinking again,’ said our Plan B source.

Falling off the wagon now would be especially catastrophic for Pitt, given that his career was seemingly unaffected by the media attention over the plane incident.

His war drama Allied was released two months later and was well received – despite the rumours of an affair with his co-star Marion Cotillard, something she publicly denied. She was in a long-term relationship.

This was followed by his company Plan B Entertainment picking up the Best Picture Oscar in 2017 for the coming-of-age drama Moonlight. Unsurprisingly, Pitt wasn’t in attendance.

‘Some of Brad’s Alcoholics Anonymous friends have expressed concern about him drinking again,’ said our source (pictured in June)

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Pitt went back to drinking around the same time his children started to drop ‘Pitt’ from their last name  

For a while, acting roles were minimal as he slipped behind-the-scenes, producing a wealth of films before re-emerging and winning an acting Oscar for Once Upon a Time in… Hollywood (2019) and landing a Best Picture Oscar nomination for F1 The Movie earlier this year.

And the Hollywood heartthrob, estimated to be worth $400million (£296million), has 19 upcoming projects in various states of filming, pre- and post-production.

Pitt may have managed to find happiness with de Ramon and to stop his entire life from free-falling, but he has had no such luck with his children who have all distanced themselves from the actor, with all bar Pax, now 23, even going as far as filing to legally drop ‘Pitt’ from their last names.

When Shiloh turned 18, in May 2024 she filed to change her name to Shiloh Nouvel Jolie, which was granted a few months later in a Los Angeles court. That same month, Vivienne, then 15, went by the name of ‘Vivienne Jolie’ in the Playbill for Broadway’s The Outsiders, which she produced alongside her mother.

Then, in May this year, Maddox, 24, legally dropped his father’s last name, and Zahara was announced as ‘Zahara Marley Jolie’ when she graduated from Spelman College in Atlanta, Georgia. The following month she filed a petition in the Los Angeles Superior Court to officially change her name. A hearing is set for September 28.

Her younger brother Knox also dropped the name Pitt from his high school graduation diploma this summer.

And the estrangement has stretched to the wider Pitt family, with one family insider telling the Daily Mail in 2024 that Pitt’s parents hadn’t seen their grandchildren in eight years, despite attempts to make contact.

Jolie faced accusations of trying to drive a wedge between Pitt and the children, with former British SAS soldier Tony Webb, who worked for the family for more than 20 years, claiming that a colleague told him he’d overheard the actress ‘encouraging the children to avoid spending time with Pitt during custody visits’.

Insiders told the Daily Mail in 2024 that Pitt’s parents, right, hadn’t seen the children he shares with Jolie in eight years (pictured with Pax, Shiloh and Maddox in 2014)

Pitt and Jolie are still embroiled in an acrimonious battle – dubbed the war of the rosé – over shares in their 1,200-acre wine estate, Miraval

This week a source close to Pitt’s camp was insistent that the actor had not resumed drinking as a result of the ongoing estrangement.

‘The extraordinarily painful isolation of his children has been difficult, but his decision to drink is independent of this. It was not [because of] the name changes.’

Yet it is hard to ignore the timing of Pitt’s decision. If abstaining from drinking was a way to prove that he could be a good father, he seemingly has no reason to keep proving himself, given that his children have made clear their stance.

‘Brad knew when Shiloh got approval for dropping Pitt from her name in late 2024, his other children would follow suit,’ said the source close to Plan B Entertainment. ‘He was humiliated every time another one did – there was nothing he could do about it.

When Vivienne recently filed to drop Pitt [just days after her 18th birthday last month], although he knew it was coming, that was almost the final straw.’

Jolie has said little about the breakdown of their marriage, simply that it was ‘the right decision’.

‘I continue to focus on their healing,’ she told Vogue in 2021 referring to their six children. ‘Some have taken advantage of my silence, and the children see lies about themselves in the media, but I remind them that they know their own truth and their own minds.’

She has also tentatively talked about how she lost herself for a bit but was encouraged to keep going by her children, who have also largely remained silent, aside from Pax.

He attacked his ‘f****** awful human being’ of a father in an explosive Instagram rant on Father’s Day 2020, accusing the actor of making the lives of those closest to him a ‘constant hell’.

Alongside a picture of Pitt receiving an Oscar for best supporting actor, he wrote: ‘You time and time again prove yourself to be a terrible and despicable person.

‘You have no consideration or empathy toward your 4 youngest children who tremble in fear when in your presence.’

He claimed that Pitt will ‘never understand the damage’ he inflicted on his family because he is ‘incapable’, adding that ‘the truth will come to light someday’.

Despite being declared legally single in 2019 and the overall divorce finalised and signed off in December 2024, the exes are still embroiled in an acrimonious battle -dubbed the War of the Rosé – over shares in their 1,200-acre estate, Miraval, in Provence, where the award-winning wine they launched in 2013, is made.

‘Although they’re still battling it out, he doesn’t feel that falling off the wagon will be an issue,’ said a source. ‘If he wasn’t so much in love and in such a great place in his career, the sadness of his family and Angie issues would be way too much.

‘When it’s all done and she’s completely out of his life, he feels he’ll finally be able to breathe again.’

The store is Cambridge’s only branch of the popular chain

Cambridge’s only former WHSmith store is set to close. Former WHSmith stores underwent a major restructuring when it changed its name to TG Jones in 2025.

As a result, this resulted in all stores across the country changing their names. As part of the restructuring plans, some stores were, or are due to close.

The TG Jones branch in Market Street, Cambridge, which is the city’s only store, is closing on September 14. A TG Jones spokesperson said: “Following the approval of the TG Jones restructuring plan, our store on Market Street in Cambridge will be closing on September 14.

“We are currently supporting our in-store colleagues during this process, and we would like to thank all of our loyal customers who have shopped with us during our time in the town.”

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