Brad surprises Jen in Hawaii!

Her loving ex turns up just as Jen voices regret about her on-and-off single status

For several years, Jennifer Aniston has been happy to play the third wheel to her Murder Mystery co-star Adam Sandler and his wife Jackie.

But this year, after spending several long days on set with Adam, 55, and his family while working on the film's sequel in Hawaii the past two months, sources say, Jen, who turned 53 last week, started to hanker for a date of her own.

“Jennifer loves Adam and Jackie, they've all been great friends for years," says an insider. “Seeing them together makes Jen realize she's missing having a partner in her life - something she confessed to her close friends back in LA during FaceTime catch-ups with them.”

FRIENDSHIP & TRUST

It seems one of those confidants was her ex-husband Brad Pitt, 57, who is said to be "incredibly close" with Jennifer now his second marriage, to Angelina Jolie, is over.

"Jen and Brad have gotten over all their past pain, and now speak regularly," says a source. “She confides a lot of her innermost feelings to him nowadays. He's worked really hard to regain her friendship and her trust - and a lot of people around them believe he's also working hard to win her heart again."