Dad on a Mission! BRAD'S BATTLE TO WIN BACK HIS KIDS

Brad Pitt has admitted he was already in love with Mr. & Mrs. Smith co-star Angelina Jolie as he grappled with ending his marriage to Jennifer Aniston, 55, in 2005 following a long period of feeling adrift.

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Six years and six kids later, he'd finally found real contentment. "I'm satisfied with making true choices and finding the woman I love, Angie, and building a family that I love so much," the actor told Parade in 2011. "A family is a risky venture, because the greater the love, the greater the loss....

That's the trade-off. But I'll take it all." At the time, he couldn't have imagined that his high-stakes gamble would lead to such heartbreak.

In 2016, Brad lost his partner and his connection with their children after a heated, alcoholfueled argument on their private plane led Angelina, 49, to file for divorce and wage a relentless war for sole custody amid claims the 60-year-old was abusive, which he's long denied. "Since the split eight years ago, his relationship with his kids has never recovered," a source confirms. "It's been a very hard road, but Brad is not giving up on his fight - he wants to save his family."

LONGING TO RECONCILE

With the December holidays approaching, Brad is "praying for a Christmas miracle," says the source.