Brad breaks his vow of silence

Most men would probably want to boast of an affair with Angelina Jolie. Not Brad Pitt. After months of speculation, he has finally broken his silence to deny any involvement with the Hollywood actress.

It is claimed Pitt's affair with Jolie led to the breakup of his marriage with Jennifer Aniston.

The couple are currently locked in a divorce battle.

Pitt ' s denial was prompted by a report in the American magazine Us Weekly which claimed he was now dating the Tomb Raider star.

They are alleged to have had an affair while filming Mr and Mrs Smith.

In a rare US TV interview, Pitt said: "That particular story is completely untrue. Because these tabloids are making so much money, and yes, I consider Us Weekly a tabloid, they go to great lengths to corroborate their stories, whether they are true or not.

"It used to drive me a little crazy. I just don't deal with it. You can lose a lot of your life to answering to that. It just sucks up your day."

In its latest issue, Us Weekly proclaimed on its cover, 'It's true!"' and ran a story quoting employees of a California hotel who claim they saw Pitt, the star of Troy and Ocean's Twelve, and Jolie being affectionate.

The magazine is standing by the story. In a statement, it said: "Pitt has long denied stories involving his personal life, beginning with reports of trouble in his marriage to Jennifer Aniston prior to the separation.

"Multiple sources both on and off-the-record confirmed Pitt and Jolie were physically affectionate in public areas of the resort where they were staying."

Jolie has admitted she did become close to Pitt during filming Mr and Mrs Smith but has also always maintained that their relationship was purely platonic.

She said it is against her policy to sleep with married men. She said: "Brad is a married man. I wouldn't sleep with a married man. I have enough lovers. I don't need Brad," the actress told the New York Post, adding: "I don't want to be involved in a relationship."

Pitt was married to Aniston, the star of TV show Friends, for four and a half years. Pitt and Jolie flirted so outrageously on the set that rumours began to circulate that their relationship was more than platonic. Aniston was reportedly so furious she was said to have ordered Pitt, 40, never to film with Jolie again.