Even A-list stars like Jennifer Aniston have to deal with an ex moving on, and sources tell heat she isn’t taking Justin Theroux’s recent engagement well.
News of her ex-husband’s engagement to actress Nicole Brydon Bloom, 30, broke last week, with the couple confirming at Venice Film Festival that he’d popped the question. Justin, 53, was married to Friends star Jen for two years, before they split in 2017.
While Jen, 55, is putting on a brave face, we’re told she’s secretly crushed that her former husband has moved on, and more despondent than ever about her own prospects of finding lasting happiness.
‘Jen wants to be happy for Justin and, in many ways, she is, but there’s still an overwhelming feeling of sadness and regret over what might have been,’ says an insider.
‘She and Justin are still good friends, she’s met Nicole, and there’s no real awkwardness there on the surface. But, behind the brave face, Jen feels lonely and is panicky about the lack of romantic success she’s had since she and Justin divorced.’
The source continues, ‘It’s one thing to have the mansion, the job of her dreams and all the perks in the world. But the bottom line is that she’s lonely, and as much as she hates to admit it, the years are slipping by so fast.’
However, Jen isn’t completely alone in that big mansion of hers. For the past few months, we’re told the star has been quietly dating a producer she met on the set of filming The Morning Show.
Our insider says, ‘While she’s happy to be dating someone and have that buzz of a new romance, she’s said she wants more commitment at this stage. They were friends for a few years before getting together earlier this year. But it’s been a few months now, and Jen’s conscious things have stagnated a bit.’
Now, in the wake of Justin’s announcement, rumours are circulating that Jen is in a rush to lock down her new man. We’re told, ‘While Jen is very happy for Justin, his engagement news did strike a raw nerve, given he popped the question after just a year – and she’s nowhere near that point in her new relationship.’
The source adds, ‘She doesn’t need someone to put a ring on it, but she wants to know that things are going in the right direction. If not, it’ll be time for her to move on.’